Mike Elko shares excitement for Texas A&M Senior Day

Texas A&M will host Texas in the Lone Star Showdown during the regular season finale. In turn, the Aggies have moved the annual Senior Day festivities to Saturday’s Week 12 matchup against New Mexico.

Aggies head coach Mike Elko is excited for this group of seniors in particular to be honored, as they’re the last group of players he helped recruit during his previous stint in College Station.

“We’ve got 27 kids walking on Saturday, and that’s a special day, Elko said on Week 12’s Aggie Football Hour. “They’ll get their parents down there [on the field] and get them to just kind of soak it all in and everything that they’ve been through here is Aggies. It’ll be a really cool moment.”

Elko said that a lot of the seniors on this year’s roster were the ones that he recruited during his days as Aggies defensive coordinators. Calling it full circle in a lot of cases, it reminded Elko of how fast each season passes. The days are long, but the years are short, he said.

“You get perspective in the journey I’ve been on with this group,” Elko continued. “It feels like just yesterday that they got here. And for them, I’m sure these four years felt like it went so fast.

“And then I think about my journey from the start of their college to the end of their college, and going from the defensive coordinator Texas A&M to the head [coach], I mean, for me, it’s been life-altering changes. But it does. It goes fast. It goes quick, but yeah, it’s a great moment for them.”

Elko said that in many cases for the players that have stuck with Texas A&M since their freshman season in 2021, his relationships with them date back six or more years. He’s confident those relationships will continue when they’re no longer with the program.

Kickoff between the Aggies and Lobos is set for 7:45 p.m. ET and will air live on the SEC Network. Senior day festivities are likely to take place roughly an hour before the opening kick.