COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M football is wrapping up fall camp and transitioning into regular season preparation outside Kyle Field in College Station.
For head coach Mike Elko, the camp has been about more than just reps — it has been about building resilience.
"A lot of it is mental toughness, honestly. You guys have been here; the heat has certainly been on high the last week and that stretch of having to get up every day with nothing really exciting going on and I'm just really proud of how we pushed through it, and to me that shows a team coming together to kinda start battling together to overcome adversity," Elko said.
The offseason also created opportunities for players to earn more time on Saturdays. With projected starter Daymion Sanford going down for the summer, other linebackers stepped into the spotlight.
"Those reps had to go somewhere, and the urgency to be the guy had to go somewhere, and I think all of those kids, because of that, have taken a big step forward," Elko said.
With a strong SEC schedule ahead, players and coaches are not looking past any game.
"It's gonna be a dog fight throughout the whole season, right? Like you play that many SEC teams against that many good teams, it's gonna be a dog fight for every team in the SEC. Look, one game at a time, especially now. Fall camp is done — we're just trying to focus all our energy and focus into one game at a time," Marco Jones, Aggies defensive end said.
Elko also addressed the controversy surrounding NFL players returning to college programs, saying it was never the right fit for the Aggies.
"We are very comfortable and confident with the culture that we've built and I don't know that it makes a ton of sense for us in August to go out and recruit a whole bunch of kids who haven't been through it all with us, haven't been through the hard days in the summer with coach Moffitt, haven't been through spring ball, haven't been through team bonding," Elko said.
The Aggies open their season against Missouri State on Sept. 5 at 6 p.m.
