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Q: It looks like we have a top 2026 WR and of course 3 good transfer portal prospects.

But Noah is leaving for "a more dynamic offense where he can get more targets".

What is our sales pitch to WR’s? (Richard23)

A: They have two top 2026 WRs, with both Aaron Gregory and Madden Williams being 4-stars. As for the sales pitch, it probably goes like this: “Look, we’re building this offense now with our personnel. We have a young and rapidly improving dual threat quarterback. We want to push the ball down the field more and you can help us do that.

AND WE HAVE A TON OF NIL MONEY!”

Or something like that.

Q: Which is the bigger problem: the Secondary or the D-line? The Secondary seemed to at least be trying and aggressive, if not too aggressive, but how much of their failings were scheme? Talent? Experience? Meanwhile, the D-line had talent and experience but it seemed that the scheme and tackling hamstrung them to a huge degree.

A: I think that the D-line was a bigger issue this year. They were, to put it mildly, a disappointment and when you don’t get pressure, decent quarterbacks are going to beat a secondary filled with really good defenders the vast majority of the time. That’s why being a corner is so difficult. A defense needs to find ways to pressure a quarterback, speed him up and get him off his spot if you can’t put him on the turf. A&M did not do that the last month of the season.

Also, wouldn't better O-line play be a major part of solving the offensive woes we experienced this past season? (3rd Gen Ag)

A: Oh, for sure. That’s why getting all your starters back is so important. In 2019, A&M had an average to below-average offensive line. In 2020, they put the same guys out there and they were one of the best lines in the nation. More reps, more experience, more S&C…all of those things can lead to improved play.

Q: what position groups as it stands today do you feel will be better than they were a year ago? (Badash)

A: Quarterback, offensive line, running back, wide receiver, linebacker and corner.

Q: Ok, with the way the season played out, losing 4 of 5 games at the end, what are some positives that we the fan base can build on?

A: Marcel Reed took a lot of crap, but he ended up with very solid numbers and really looked good in the bowl game. He had a nearly 3:1 touchdown to interception ratio, completed 62% or more of his passes in his final five starts and ran for 547 yards and 7 touchdowns. You added a lot of speed at receiver. You’ll have a better running game, probably, next year and an extremely experienced offensive line. Your linebackers will be better. You cut a lot of dead weight from the roster and replaced them with players who should be able to contribute at least a little.

Now what are your negatives that Elko needs to over come to be successful in 2025?

A: I think another year as a head coach, and one in the SEC, will help him. He’s a smart guy and will do a self-assessment along with everything else. But one thing he needs to do is avoid going down the Jimbo road of stubbornness. We saw that on the fourth down calls against Texas and South Carolina for example. And he has to be willing to look at his staff and address areas that are lacking. Loyalty is a good thing, unless it hurts you and everyone else around you.

You've been around a lot of SEC and other College programs, how does A&M compare as a whole or looking at the overall picture or general characteristics of two or more things, considering all aspects rather than focusing on specific details in the Athletic department?

A: Are we talking solely athletics, or academics as well? That would help me give a specific answer.

Are we run by multi-level good ol' boy gomers or are we a well run across the board professional organization comparatively speaking? (Big Smoothie)

A: A&M still has some good ol’ boys in positions of authority, but not many. The new chairman of the board of regents will be a telling move, but that’s as much up to Gov. Abbott as anyone. But any university that says they wouldn’t be happy with a guy like Mark Welsh as their president and Andy Card in a key role (head of the Bush School) is lying. Trev Alberts may be a former football player, but he has an astute business mind.

I think the good ol’ boys really damaged their brand with several things: hiring Fran, then going back to the R.C. well to get Sherman, then going to get another guy who “got A&M” in Sumlin, then panicking and giving him a big money extension, then doing the same thing with Jimbo. This is big business and should be run that way, which is ironic considering a lot of these guys who have been involved in butchering things are prominent in the business world.

Q: Do you foresee NIL remaining as is for the next 10 years or so or is there a potential move afoot to rein it in and perhaps make football fun again? (H273)

A: You know what is going to change NIL, outside of an act of congress? Capitalism. People are going to get fed up with seeing a negative return on investment and stop paying. You think the A&M donors are thrilled with what they got out of Nic Scourton? They were expecting Myles Garrett. He wasn’t nearly that good, though he was All-SEC caliber. You think Oregon donors were thrilled with 48 catches from Evan Stewart? No chance. Ole Miss donors were delighted by paying big money to Walter Nolen, Jaxson Dart, Princely Umanmeilen and Tre Harris to go 9-3? Nope. When the money runs dry, that’s when the market will adapt.

Q: Still think we see any changes to the coaching staff, or has that likely passed now? (Jmiles95)

A: I thought we would have by now, but I wouldn’t say the possibility has been eliminated.

Q: Outside of Wade Taylor staying healthy, what is the one thing our team needs to improve to finish say top 5 of the SEC?

A: Pretty easy — shoot the ball better, especially from three-point range. That’s it.

Do you see any additional movement in the portal after tu and reach around U both lose?

A: Almost certainly. Will A&M be involved? I don’t know that.

Will Elko or any of the staff be at the Navy All-America game? (Tsip despiser)

A: Normally, teams stay away from those games. Really, they’d rather see practices rather than the game itself.

Q: Are there other DTs in the portal A&M is interested in or do you think the will try to address during Spring portal?

A: I think they may have interest in a few guys who may not be in the portal yet, but the DT market at the moment isn’t that hot.

What are your thoughts on freshman QB Eli Morcos? (Ag20)

A: I think he’s better than his ranking indicates. OU and LSU had gotten involved with him about the same time A&M did, so he was certainly on the radar screen. He’s really mobile, has a good arm and nice touch. But he’s also raw and needs to be a more consistent passer. He and Brady Hart should have a couple of years to develop before they’re seriously involved in the offense (barring injury, of course).

Q: More of meat grinder

SEC Basketball

SEC Baseball (Maroon Mudbug)

A: Wow, that’s tough. I tend to lean baseball, but hoops could be a real death march this season.

Q: I think one reason Jimbo failed is that he kept Addazio after it was clear we had a poor performance from our OL which ultimately led to multiple QB's getting lost for a season due to injuries and a bad offense. We were told early on that he was stubborn and very loyal which led him to keep Addazio. We had a very talented defense this year but had poor results. Do you think Elko will suffer the same fate as Jimbo and hang on to a coach (Bateman) who is not getting good performance from his personnel, or will he make changes needed to get the defense playing at a high level? (GCJC)

A: That’s what I was talking about earlier, with stubbornness and being too loyal to your staff. If there’s someone he thinks didn’t get the job done this year, the answer may not be giving them another season to see if things get better.

Q: seeing that Shanahan is still in the portal. Most others have already found a new home. What are the chances that he takes himself out of the portal & rejoins the team? Is he in good standing with the staff and his teammates? (3G Ag)

A: I don’t think he’s coming back, and I’m not sure he’d even consider it. In his farewell post, he mentioned Jimbo and Addazio. Not Elko and Cushing. That tells me a lot.

Q: Our BB team gets lots of offensive rebounds but that stat is skewed by having more opportunities since we shoot so poorly. Teams that don’t miss, can’t rebound. Is there a stat that adjusts for this? Offensive rebound per missed shot? (Eyecutter98)

A: Not really.

Q: I’m still struggling to reconcile (or console myself) with how our season ended and really want to direct my anger/frustration toward someone. Trying not to make it Elko so I’ve decided that what happened is the Shemars and Scourton quit on the team after LSU. We went from a good defense to a bad one, got pressure on the qb to not getting pressure, able to stop the run to run away train running backs after LSU. Production from those 3 disappeared too. Was it them or did teams figure out to scheme them? No, they’re too talented. Did they quit to keep away from injury? Bad attitude? Think I’m on to something here? If I’m off base, please give me an explanation. I hope Elko let’s NFL scouts know what kind of team mates they are. (91 Ag)

A: I think you’re off base and not on to anything. They weren’t bad teammates and I can’t see Shemar Turner, who picked up personal fouls like candy because he was giving too much effort, quitting on anything. I think that the defensive scheme wasn’t good enough and maybe they weren’t coached well enough. Stewart, for sure, was a disappointment and I expected much more from Scourton. But to accuse them of being bad teammates and quitters is, bluntly, ridiculous.

Q: Basketball:

Does the intensity and physical play of the defense, cause a motionless offense?

A: No. They’re just bad offensively. They tend to run the clock down, work on iso-s and jack up shots with just a couple of seconds left.

What does this team look like next year? (Spar2cus)

A: Very different. Wade Taylor, Manny Obaseki, Jace Carter, CJ Wilcher, Hayden Hefner, Zhuric Phelps, Andersson Garcia and Henry Coleman will all be gone. Right now, the two starters who will be back are Pharrel Payne and Solomon Washington. Two freshman, George Turkson and Andre Mills, are redshirting and will be looked to to fill roles at point guard and shooting guard. Chris McDermott, who is playing this year, and Janusz Ratowski may be factors up front. They’re adding Ace Glass (shooting guard), Jasir Rencher (wing) and Jeremiah Green (point guard) in the 2025 class. That leaves at least four spots they need to fill via the transfer portal.

Q: we know what we have along the OL for the upper classmen, what is the report on the RS Fish as it will be necessary to get a strong 2-deep. Ivy didn't look too bad, anything else to look for besides hope that you get something out of Rogers before he leaves for NIL money? (Roster77)

A: Good grief. The kid’s not even on campus yet and he’s getting ripped for a non-existent transfer. As for the redshirts, we’ll have to wait and see in the spring. There’s not much to report because they weren’t with anything besides the scout team for most of this year because veterans were ahead of them.

Q: Where are we with a kicker? You've had Tyler White listed as the only K/P on your top deep charts. Is white realy going to be kicking or is Liam Padron the guy for next year? (d_machen)

A: No, I’ve had White on there as the only scholarship punter or kicker. Padron and Colton Chemlar, a highly-regarded kicker from A&M Consolidated who was willing to walk on, will fight it out for the job. But Chemlar won’t be there this spring, so Padron will have a leg up (literally and figuratively) in the competition.

Q: Coach Elko talks about building a strong culture. Is it possible when players seem to be primarily focused on themselves and their pocketbooks? It's not a slam on the players, but their goals and attitudes seem contrary to a team building culture. What say you? (Aggie1983)

A: It’s not easy, but it can be done. It’s been done elsewhere and we saw it here in 2020.

Q: What is the nature of Wade Taylor’s injury? (J.)

A: It hasn’t been disclosed, but he didn’t look like he was hurting too badly last night. He was definitely into it on the bench.

Q: Why no love from the DLs in the portal? (BVOSUX)

A: It’s baffling that A&M hasn’t gotten any defensive linemen besides Dayon Hayes, Sam M’Pemba, TJ Searcy and Tyler Oneydim. Oh, wait…

Q: What 2-3 defensive players are you most excited for in the 2025 season? (ChampKindKHOU11)

A: Among returning starters, Will Lee and Dalton Brooks. From the new guys or redshirts, Dayon Hayes and Solomon Williams.

Q: Since the “roster” has an 85-player limit, what is to prevent anyone from having preferred walk-on’s and just paying them NIL money?

A: Nothing, except a desire by players not to do that.

Does “85” mean paid scholarship players?

A: Yes.

Can you have 105 players on the sideline if 20 are “walk-on’s?”

A: They do at all home games.

Can you just give “walk-on’s” NIL instead of a scholarship if they are good enough? (WUNDY)

A: In theory.