(KBTX) – As the Texas A&M football team rings in 2025, it would be hard not to look back and realize so much was left on the field during an 8-5 season that ended with a last-minute loss to Southern California in the Las Vegas Bowl.

The schedule was famously favorable for the Aggies, with perceived challenging matchups against Notre Dame, Missouri, LSU and Texas all held in Kyle Field. Since the 2021 offseason, this was the year that the historic 2022 recruiting class would be the veteran talent on the field, led by experienced five-star quarterback Conner Weigman. Many believed the Aggies could turn a recruiting national championship into actual hardware in 2024.

And yet, was that much actually left on the field when so many have just plain left?

First-year A&M head coach Mike Elko put significant work into the Aggie football program, evident in turning five wins into eight this season, along with a shot at playing in the Southeastern Conference Championship. However, there is still plenty of sweeping, mopping and scrubbing to be done within the Bright Football Complex, and patience within the 12th Man is at an all-time low to get the house in order.

It was former head coach Jimbo Fisher who acquired as many five and four-star prospects as he could in 2022. As the nation found out, it was without consideration for fit, demeanor or chemistry.

After Fisher’s firing, Elko inherited only 14 players of the 30 who were part of that 2022 class, headlined by defensive end Shemar Stewart and defensive tackle Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy. The top two signees, defensive tackle Walter Nolan and wide receiver Evan Stewart, departed before Elko could even complete a coaching staff.

Now, Elko will enter the 2025 season with only six players from the class, four of which received significant playing time in 2024 – running back Le’Veon Moss, wide receiver Noah Thomas, center Mark Nabou Jr. and tight end Theo Melin Öhrström.

It is obvious there is a togetherness within the program now that was absent in the Fisher era, partially evident in the fact three A&M players chose to play in the bowl game before declaring for the draft. Albeit, they were three long-shot NFL prospects.

Next, just as Elko growled after the Las Vegas Bowl loss, the on-field product will need to make near-instantaneous improvements. The 2025 schedule on the horizon is incredibly more challenging with road trips to Notre Dame, Arkansas, LSU, Missouri and Texas. It includes playing on the road for nearly all of the month of October.

Gone is Fisher’s golden arm in Weigman, who fizzled in new offensive coordinator Collin Klein’s system. Marcel Reed is now the quarterback of the Aggie present and future. The coaching staff has addressed receiving issues that plagued the Aggies throughout 2024 by bringing in three wide receivers from the transfer portal: Micah Hudson (Texas Tech), Mario Craver (Mississippi State) and KC Concepcion (North Carolina State).

What remains is a defense that struggled to tackle and cover passes, a fact Elko raged against in Las Vegas. To Elko, some of A&M’s defining victories of the season required luck.

“I have a lot of apprehension when the other team’s going to drop back and throw the ball. I’ve had that apprehension all season. That started against Florida, we got lucky. Starting against Missouri, we got lucky. LSU threw for 400 yards. It’s been a problem all season. It’s on me and we’ve got to fix it.”

Ultimately, the personnel Elko and his staff put together in the defensive secondary struggled to run zone coverage, forcing the defense to rely on playing man most downs. It also lacked the consistency to play that system well.

“We just don’t understand how to play zone coverage, which is just mind-blowing to me,” Elko said.

The Aggies have made up little ground on bolstering talent via the transfer portal, with only Georgia cornerback Julian Humphrey moving over to A&M. A transfer from the previous year, cornerback Will Lee III, has announced he’s returning for another season, which will be a boost.

So, if options in a helmet are few and far between, it might be making a change within the headset. Jay Bateman was Elko’s pick for defensive coordinator and play caller for his first season in Aggieland. Could he look elsewhere to bring in a different voice to teach the defense? Elko disciple Tyler Santucci is coming off a strong season as defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech and has previously worked under Elko at A&M. Would he be interested in a return trip to College Station?

Aggie fans have already seen their archrival Longhorns make it to the Southeastern Conference title game in their first season in the conference and win a College Football Playoff matchup. Anyone in college football would be naive to think that doesn’t advance the expectation clock in College Station.

After one season of the Elko era, Fisher’s mess has proven to need another round of spring cleaning this offseason. The question is: Does Elko have a big enough broom?

KBTX senior Texas A&M sportswriter Travis L. Brown can be reached at travis.brown@kbtx.com

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