Texas A&M Wants Offensive Line to Be Identity, Set Tone

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One of the challenges for a first-year head coach in college football is establishing a program identity.

Texas A&M's Mike Elko did so successfully in two seasons at Duke and is trying to repeat that success with the No. 25-ranked Aggies (2-1). But what is Texas A&M's identity?

"We've asked our offensive line to be the identity of our program," Elko said during a press conference on Sept. 16. "I think that's how you want your program to be."

Texas A&M Offensive Line Approach

Elko's approach makes plenty of sense. The tone of each football game is set in the trenches and along the line of scrimmage, and the o-line is a massive part of putting your skill players in the best positions to succeed.

Texas A&M's best teams in recent years have also had plenty of NFL talent along the line of scrimmage, including during Elko's previous stint as defensive coordinator in College Station, Texas. Those units were not only noticeably talented, but they did the little things the right way, and Elko is asking the current group to follow the same standard.

"We've challenged them in a lot of little areas: pick our running backs up, protect our quarterback, play harder than everyone else on the football field, conduct yourself a certain kind of way." Elko explained. "That to me is what your offensive line should be, and that part, for sure, we had going back in 2020 and 2021 when I was here last time. That's how that program went."

Player Response

Elko's philosophy for the offensive line isn't new or unique, but it seems to be a crucial part of the culture he wants to build for the Aggies, and the overall physicality may have been lacking in College Station the last two seasons or so. There have been challenges early in the season no doubt, but the offensive line relishes setting the tone for the rest of the team.

© Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

"I think these kids have embraced wanting to be that for our program," Elko said. "So, every time you go out there and you see our kids pushing piles and running to pick people up and getting our backs up off the ground—those things to me mean an awful lot about what your program stands for and what the culture of your program looks like."

Early Challenges, Successes

The 2024 season began with a challenging matchup against an elite No. 17 Notre Dame (2-1) defense, and multiple Aggie linemen exited that game with injuries. Starting center Mark Nabou was lost for the season, and his backup, Kolinuu Faaiu is currently working through an injury.

Still, the Texas A&M offensive line progressed through the next two games, particularly on the ground. Although it was a far inferior run defense the Aggies faced against McNeese State, the running game accounted for 333 yards and 5 touchdowns in Texas A&M's first win of the season.

They followed with 310 yards on the ground on Sept. 14 against the Florida Gators (1-2). Yes, Florida is a team hanging around the bottom tier of the Southeastern Conference, but putting up that kind of performance in a road game against a Power Four foe is always impressive.

There's still work to be done, but Elko's faith in the offensive line will pay dividends in building Texas A&M into a truly physical team down the road.