Elko completes staff with final two hires
AggieYell.com can confirm reports that Texas A&M coach Mike Elko has completed his coaching staff, picking off former Alabama wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins for the same role in Aggieland and keeping Tony Jerod-Eddie on the full-time staff.
The hiring of Wiggins, who has been on Nick Saban's staff since 2019, can only be considered a coup for Elko. Not only has Wiggins coached elite talent into first round draft picks, but he has repeatedly added 5-star receivers with his recruiting prowess.
Wiggins, 43, came to Alabama after stints at Virginia Tech and Memphis. His greatest accomplishment was making DeVonta Smith into a Heisman Trophy winner and a first round pick. But he also coached first rounders Jaylen Waddle (Miami), Henry Ruggs III (formerly Las Vegas), James Williams (Detroit) and Jerry Jeudy (Denver). All were taken in the top 15 picks.
Another Wiggins product, John Metchie, was taken by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. After missing last season while battling leukemia, Metchie is now in his rookie season with the Texans.
From his time at Virginia Tech and Memphis, Wiggins has become one of the best recruiters in Tennessee and the entire East Coach -- the DC/Maryland/Virginia region in particular. But he's also been highly successful in Texas, landing WRs Jojo Earle and Aeryn Hampton recently. His recruiting chops go beyond receivers, however; he also landed Texas offensive guard Casey Poe and 5-star QB Julian Sayin, Rivals.com's number 4 player overall in the 2024 class.
Jerod-Eddie needs far less of an introduction. Part of the DeSoto trio with Von Miller and Cyrus Gray, Jerod-Eddie became a mainstay of the Aggie defense under Mike Sherman. He finished his college career with 147 tackles, 7 sacks, 5 pass deflections, and a forced fumble, and was honorable mention All-Big 12 in 2010.
After a four-year NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers, Jerod-Eddie joined Jimbo Fisher's coaching staff in an off-the-field capacity. He began to take a more visible role over the past two seasons, handling much of the defensive end coaching in the spring as Terry Price fought his final bought with cancer. When Elijah Robinson took over as the A&M's interim head coach, he immediately promoted Jerod-Eddie to an on-the-field role, which he will retain on Elko's staff.