Mike Elko doubles down on viral comments regarding his name being in major coaching searches

The coaching carousel is in an all-out spin with a month still left in the season considering how many jobs, and premier ones at that, are already open. Aggieland wouldn’t even know it’s happening, though, with how little it’s being thought about by Mike Elko.

Appearing on ‘Bussin’ With The Boys’ on Monday, Elko again addressed his name coming up as a coaching candidate elsewhere besides Texas A&M. He referred back to his viral comment from a week ago, saying there’s no value at all in thinking about that during the season and certainly not with the kind of year that they’re having in College Station.

“Yeah, I had a really other famous quote that came out like a week and a half ago that was on social media about my thoughts on these other jobs and it being a waste of brain space,” said Elko. “I think, no different than we talk to our players. I think it’s really important to focus on what’s in front of you. We have a lot of confidence in what we’re doing here at Texas A&M, what this place can be. And, I just don’t think those conversations are things that are important at all during the season.”

A week ago, Elko was asked his thoughts on being linked, and how he handles being linked in general, to the open job at Penn State. His answer was frank and to the point, and maybe even at least a little off-putting to the media, as he called out how silly and stupid all those narratives are.

“I don’t discuss it with my players,” said Elko. “I think it’s absolutely hilarious how you guys cover coaches. I think, three weeks ago, I was getting fired. Now I’m getting hired. Now you don’t want me to stay, but I’m leaving. It’s just, it’s absolutely hilarious. It is a waste of brain space to spend any time talking or thinking about any of that stupidity.”

However, considering the state of the job market and the caliber of candidate currently out there, you couldn’t blame a program at all for at least trying to consider Elko. That’s as he, over the four seasons so far for him as a head coach with two apiece at Duke and Texas A&M, is 32-14 (.696) overall, including 16-5 (.762) so far with the Aggies. They were in contention last season in his debut to be in the SEC Championship in finish at 8-4 (5-3), and, this season, A&M is contending for even more at 8-0 (5-0) as they look nearly set to be both in the SEC Championship and in the College Football Playoff by this final week of October.

But, that said, Elko is listening to any of that other stuff going on outside of his program. He’ll address what’s necessary but, besides that, he’s concerned only about what he needs to be, which is his team at Texas A&M.

“Internally, we addressed the things that we need to, but, like we tell the players to avoid the external noise, I think it’s really important that coaches do the same and that’s how we try to go about it,” said Elko.