Latest news with #SECSpringMeetings
USA Today
31-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where does Texas A&M's superstar running back rank among non-quarterbacks in 2025?
Where does Texas A&M's superstar running back rank among non-quarterbacks in 2025? After showcasing his potential in front of the Aggie faithful in Bryan-College Station, Texas, last season, the hype is growing at a rapid pace for what Texas A&M's superstar running back can bring to the table for the program in 2025. According to ESPN's non-quarterback rankings, senior back Le'Veon Moss is ranked as the No. 8 player in the country who is not a signal-caller heading into this year's campaign. The 2024 All-SEC Second Team running back recorded 765 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground for the Aggies in 2024. Even though the Walker, Louisiana, native suffered an injury against South Carolina in early November that sidelined him for the rest of the year, Moss still displayed his athleticism and ability to make the best teams in the country struggle to bring him down. He played a huge role in aiding the Aggies to become the second-best rushing attack in the conference and the ninth-best unit in the country. At the SEC Spring Meetings, Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko said that Moss will be at full health heading into fall camp in a couple of months, however. "He'll be 100% for sure for fall camp. I think he's running. He's here now, like he didn't go home for break. He's here continuing to work with our PT department. When you go out there and watch him run, he looks really good right now. And so, we're excited with how that rehab process has gone." As long as Moss' recovery continues to go well, he has the skillset, mindset and experience to become one of the most talented non-quarterbacks in the country this season. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
USA Today
29-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
'We have to finish' Texas A&M HC Mike Elko speaks during Austin Coach's night
'We have to finish' Texas A&M HC Mike Elko speaks during Austin Coach's night It's officially "talk'n season" ahead of the 2025 college football season, and Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has been making the rounds, starting with the Brazos Country Coach's night last week, followed by the SEC Spring Meetings on Thursday, while Wednesday night's Austin Coach's night saw the second-year head coach sounding as confident in his 2025 roster as you'll likely hear all offseason. Ever since the Aggies' game-losing drive against USC in the Las Vegas Bowl, Elko has made significant changes to the coaching staff and 2025 roster, starting with hiring James Madison defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill to the defensive staff to fix the remaining issue in the secondary, which will (hopefully) prevent the blown coverage's that cost the Aggie's several games last season. From starting quarterback Marcel Reed's improvement to edge rusher Cashius Howell's likely breakout season, Elko provided several player updates that will both excite and, yes, shock the Aggie fan base as the countdown to the 2025 campaign continues. Talking for over an hour in front of Texas A&M donors and media members, here is every key detail Mike Elko provided on Wednesday night. Mike Elko on Texas A&M's bright future "We you look at some of the things in and around the program and some of the indicators of where the program is going, we're very proud of the foundation we have laid." Elko on the fan buy-in during his first season at the helm "For the second straight year, we had 100 percent attendance in the Big Event in College Station. We've been way more active in the community service aspect of our program." "We've been able to reconnect with our community so that our kids are not just viewed as athletes, but they're also viewed as Aggies." Elko on hosting several big name 2026 prospects in June "We've got a big month coming up in June. For those of you who still follow recruiting, it looks to be a big 2026 class. We'll have about 50 kids on campus in the next week and a half." Elko on Texas A&M's entire offensive line returning next season "Any time you're building a team and talking about possible success, when you bring back your top six starting offensive linemen, that's a really strong starting point." Elko on Texas A&M's deep running back room with the return of senior Le'Veon Moss "We bring back every running back that carried the football for us last year." "Watching Le'Veon Moss work this offseason and the commitment he has shown to getting back on the field has been nothing short of amazing. … We expect to have him fully ready by the start of training camp." Elko on Texas A&M's deep and improved wide receiver corps "It's a revamped group. It was an area where we had to figure out how to get playmakers to be honest, and we had to go to the transfer portal to find them." "We're really happy with our young group. Our young group took a really, really big step forward." Elko's sounds confident that the 2025 tight end has more juice "The tight end room, we felt we had to get a little more stout, a little more physical." Elko on QB Marcel Reed's mental advantage after taking over as the starter last season We're excited about Marcel (Reed). He got thrust into some situations last year that he wasn't maybe ready for, and you saw him take really big steps forward." Elko on QB Marcel Reed's improvement this offseason "He's an electric playmaker. He has really, really quick-twitch athleticism, and he's taking some major strides in his ability to deliver the football." Elko on backup QB Miles O'Neill's future with the program Miles O'Neill is a really young quarterback in our program that I think is going to be really, really good." "He brings some different ability in the throw game and his ability to push the ball downfield … We're excited about him and his development." Elko on Texas A&M's secondary, highlighting the return of senior CB Tyreek Chappell "We brought back every kid that played in the backend of our secondary last year…or kids that should have played." "Tyreek Chappell was probably our best DB last year, and losing him early was a big loss… He'll be back (this year)." Elko reveals that Texas A&M LB Scooby Williams played through a torn meniscus throughout the season "One of the things that we didn't tell anybody about Scooby (Williams) because you can't tell this story is that on the first drive of the Notre Dame game, he tore his meniscus." "Him and Taurean (York) make a really strong pair." Elko's confident senior Edge Cashius Howell is set to break out in 2025 "Cashius Howell coming back was really, really big. I don't think people understand how high of an NFL Draft prospect he really is." "I think he has unbelievable potential to have a really strong year." Like Cashius Howell, junior Edge Rylan Kennedy is poised to become reliable pass rusher "Rylan Kennedy showed out last year and made a lot of plays, and for anybody who paid attention to the spring game, Marco Jones might have had one of the best freshman spring games out of anybody we've ever had." Elko on Texas A&M's "experienced" offensive and defensive line "We have an older, experienced group, and we have that on both sides of the line." "We're excited about where we're going. We're excited about the direction we're heading." Elko on the Texas A&M's culture, and the resilence and passion seen throughout the roster "We're here to build a championship program. It starts with laying the foundation and building the culture." "This program is resilient. These kids are resilient. They believe in this program, and they believe in where we're going." Elko on Texas A&M's veteran specialist group, led by senior kicker Randy Bond "They're all back. One of the things as a head coach is that when the specialists go to the back of your mind, it's a good place to be because you don't worry about them." "Every kid who kicked the ball or snapped the ball on special teams last year returns. That group is in really good shape." Elko on calling a majority of the defensive plays in 2025 "I tried to go up into the press box, but they wouldn't let me." "I've called plays from the sideline at different times in my career. I've done it as a head coach. … It's not something that's new or that I'm worried about. It'll be a collaborative effort." Elko on his his roster has handled NIL opportunities "Given the rules and circumstances, our kids do a really good job of handling NIL." "We don't have a lot of horror stories. … We don't have kids demanding this or demanding that. … I credit our kids for handling the situation really well. Kids these days get a really bad rap for a situation that adults have handled really poorly." Elko on keeping the same coaching staff heading into Year 2 "When you have consistency of staff, you have consistency of messaging. That's really important for young people." "I'm thankful for the staff we have because we have a phenomenal staff." Texas A&M's offense line will likely determine the Aggies' success in 2025 "We're really excited about the offensive line. When I stood on this podium last year, that was question mark No. 1." "You've established that offensive line group, who those guys are and what they're all about." Elko ended the night with a quote that will define the Aggies through every win and loss in 2025 "We did move forward in our win total from where we were last year. I know that's now our expectation and what's acceptable, but we are moving forward." "We learned valuable lessons down the stretch last year. I did. Our team did. Our staff did. … We'll be confident when the season starts. We'll be confident through every win. We'll be confident through every lost. We'll be confident throughout the entire season until they tell us we can't play anymore." Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
USA Today
29-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas A&M HC Mike Elko reveals shocking news regarding his senior linebacker
Texas A&M HC Mike Elko reveals shocking news regarding his senior linebacker There's never a dull moment during the 2025 college football offseason, mainly due to what the media calls "talk'n season," when head coaches make the rounds to various fundraising/SEC media events during the early parts of the summer. This week, following his trip to Destin, Florida, for the annual SEC Spring Meetings, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko has continued to preview his 2025 roster and the upcoming critical season. On Wednesday night, Elko once again took the podium, this time at the annual Capital City A&M Club in Austin, also referred to as Austin Coach's night. While this was the third time in three weeks that Elko discussed Texas A&M's 2025 roster, led by starting quarterback Marcel Reed's progress, and the Aggies' veteran offensive line, the second-year head coach revealed a shocking fact regarding senior linebacker Scooby Williams, who reportedly played through a torn meniscus which occured during the season-opening loss to Notre Dame. "One of the things that we didn't tell anybody about Scooby (Williams) because you can't tell this story is that on the first drive of the Notre Dame game, he tore his meniscus." "Him and Taurean (York) make a really strong pair." This is simply incredible, looking back at his performance as one of the Aggies' best defenders after recording 43 tackles, a forced fumble, and his first career interception. Texas A&M's 2025 linebacker rotation is much deeper than some expect, while junior Taurean York and Williams look like the best tandem in the SEC outside of Alabama, LSU, and Texas. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
USA Today
28-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
'You fight every day': Texas A&M athletic director talks state of athletics
'You fight every day': Texas A&M athletic director talks state of athletics Following the annual Southeastern Conference Spring Meetings, Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts discussed a variety of topics, including the baseball head coach position heading into the offseason. The Aggies were ranked as the unanimous No. 1 team in college baseball before the 2025 campaign, which is far from how the season ended. Texas A&M's campaign was cut short at the SEC Tournament, as they finished the season with a 30-26 (11-19 SEC) record and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021. With this year's ventures ending earlier than initially anticipated, the program became the first team since 1991 to miss the postseason after being ranked as the No. 1-ranked club in the preseason. Texas A&M's disappointing season sparked conversations regarding the head coach position, as the team prepares to rebuild and attempt to retain some of the talent from this year's squad. With many question marks surrounding the position, Alberts set the record straight at the SEC Spring Meetings. While baseball remains a hot topic among many Aggie fans, the second-year athletic director also discussed several other important topics, including the state of Texas A&M athletics as a whole. The men's and women's tennis programs have achieved a multitude of incredible victories, including the men's team advancing to the Sweet 16 and the women's team competing for a national championship against the Georgia Bulldogs. Although the softball program was eliminated earlier than many expected, head coach Trisha Ford led the Aggies to the team's first-ever No. 1 ranking in school history. The men's basketball team also made the NCAA Tournament, while the Aggies football squad capped off a successful regular season with an appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl. Following an extensive amount of success and some bumps in the road along the way, Alberts gave his thoughts on the athletics year as a whole and what to expect moving forward. To put this all together, Texas A&M has achieved numerous successes in athletics this year. However, that does not mean that the train stops moving. It is going to continue to move rapidly down the tracks, and for many Aggie fans, that is why complacency is not accepted. In this day and age of collegiate athletics, the aspiration is to find ways to win or get run over in the process. One integral part of rebuilding rosters each year, especially in the day and age of the transfer portal, is finding ways to fundraise for NIL, athletics facilities, and the overall gameday experience for coaches, players, media, and fans alike. Following the meetings in Destin, Florida, Alberts spoke with the media about how Texas A&M is continuing to handle this new era in college athletics and what the Aggies are doing to provide fundraising for the respective programs. Time will tell what direction Texas A&M decides to go starting this fall, as a new academic and athletics season looms on the horizon. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
'Absolutely we're a better team' Texas A&M HC Mike Elko speaks during SEC Spring Meetings
'Absolutely we're a better team' Texas A&M HC Mike Elko speaks during SEC Spring Meetings On Tuesday, the 2025 SEC Spring Meetings took place in Destin, Florida, where every conference head coach took questions from the media while previewing their rosters ahead of the 2025 season, which is less than 100 days away. Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, who enters his second season at the helm, entered the offseason with plenty of questions after the Aggies' 1-4 finish in Year 1. This offseason, Elko immediately utilized the transfer portal, adding 14 players, including NC State wide receiver KC Concepcion, while adding five veterans to the defensive line. Last season's late struggles stemmed from starting quarterback Marcel Reed's struggles in the pocket, while the secondary allowed too many explosive plays down the stretch. Elko and his staff, which now includes former James Madison defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill, are confident in the 2025 roster, despite a challenging schedule that includes an early road trip and a rematch against Notre Dame in Week 3. Elko had plenty to say regarding several topics on Tuesday afternoon. Here's what he had to say. Mike Elko on senior running back Le'Veon Moss's health in 2025 "He'll be 100 percent for sure for fall camp. When you go out there and watch him run he looks really good right now." Mike Elko on starting QB Marcel Reed's progress this offseason "I'm happy with strides he made in the throw game in the spring and I think that will continue in the summer." Mike Elko's outlook for 2025 should excite Aggie fans Are we better? Absolutely we're a better team." Mike Elko on the challenges of waiting on the House Settlement regarding future NIL rules "I couldn't imagine a professional sports league going midway through their offseason and changing the salary cap rules. It appears that's what we're going to try to do." Mike Elko on mishandling Texas A&M's late-season struggles "It was a lot of things. One, we were in a situation we haven't been in before. We played back-to-back night games on the road in the SEC as the team that was being hunted. I don't know that we handled that well." Mike Elko on where Texas A&M is headed despite the negativity surrounding last season's poor finish "When trying to build a program from where we were to where we want to be, you want it to go smooth, you want it to go easy. It doesn't always work like that. It doesn't mean things aren't going in the right direction. It just means you have to make adjustments." Mike Elko on managing his 105-player roster this season Mike Elko on the SEC push for automatic bids in the College Football Playoff Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
