College
Column: Why A&M could take step back in Year 2 under Elko
Texas A&M must replace defensive stars such as Nic Scourton, Shemar Stewart while facing a tougher 2025 schedule in Mike Elko's second year in charge of the Aggies
A good measuring stick for a coach’s tenure is tangible improvement from Year 1 to Year 2. Nick Saban increased the Crimson Tide’s win total from 7 to 12 in his first two years at Alabama. Kirby Smart coached Georgia from an 11-win season in 2017 to a 13-win campaign in 2008. In Austin, Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns improved from five wins to eight wins in 2021-22.
Mike Elko is trying to break a streak in Aggieland. The last two head coaches – Jimbo Fisher and Kevin Sumlin – won fewer games in Year 2 than in Year 1. Fisher fell from nine to eight wins from 2018 to 2019. Sumlin stormed into the SEC with a 11-win 2013 only to fall back to earth with nine wins in 2014. Elko himself won more games (9) in Year 1 at Duke than in Year 2 (7).
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