The first 5 weeks of the 2025 college football season have seen several top programs start to separate themselves from the rest of the pack with their play on the field.
Talent always plays a massive part in any team’s success, but another key piece to winning is the person at the top calling all the shots as the head coach.
Just about every team that has made early moves up the AP Poll has one thing in common, and that’s high-level coaching from the man they have in charge.
Former Alabama Crimson Tide running back and Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram recently sat down on an episode of The Triple Option to discuss which 3 head coaches have stood out to him early on in 2025, and second-year Texas A&M coach Mike Elko made the cut.
— The Triple Option (@3xOptionShow) September 30, 2025
Elko came in at No. 2 on Ingram’s top-3, right behind Oregon Ducks’ head coach Dan Lanning, and ahead of Miami’s Mario Cristobal.
Per Ingram, the Aggies’ wins over Notre Dame in Week 3 and in Auburn in Week 5 stood out to him as signature wins, and Elko’s coaching chops were certainly on full display during both.
There’s no question that Elko has elevated Texas A&M early on in 2025, but the path to a berth in the SEC Championship and College Football Playoff is only going to get harder from here.
If the Aggies want to chart their path to either, the Elko will have to continue coaching at the same level he has been over the first several weeks of the season.
