Greg McElroy ranks Texas A&M No. 20 in preseason: ‘They weren’t that far away the last couple years’

ESPN’s Greg McElroy recently put together his preseason top 25 list. One of the more intriguing rankings was having the Texas A&M Aggies at No. 20. Moving on from Jimbo Fisher, folks in College Station are now hoping Mike Elko can steer the ship back in the right direction.

McElroy seemingly has faith in Elko, explaining why is he higher on the Aggies than others. He believes Texas A&M was closer to having success than people realize, saying the potential could finally be recognized in 2024.

“A lot of people probably think this is a little too high,” McElroy said on his Always College Football podcast. “But if you really look at the personnel, you really look at what they have back — they weren’t that far away the last couple years.”

A huge reason why Texas A&M struggled in the final few years of Fisher was quarterback. Once Kellen Mond left the program in favor of the NFL, Fisher never really found a stable presence. Conner Weigman has been highly discussed since enrolling at the school but injuries have limited his playing time.

McElroy points out seven quarterback changes have been made over the last two seasons. Weigman is set to be healthy and ready for the season opener. A huge plus for Texas A&M.

Another one is the defensive front Elko was left with from the Fisher era. Sure, some big names — such as now-Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen — left in the offseason. But Texas A&M still has plenty of former blue-chip talent to work with. There even is a prior relationship between the head coach and some of the players as Elko went through the high school recruiting process with them.

Elko even worked the NCAA transfer portal well, snagging Nic Scourton from Purdue. Being a well-respected defensive coordinator has McElroy believing he can gel the group together and turn it into a pretty impressive unit.

Texas A&M does have an early test to determine if they are worthy of the preseason ranking. Notre Dame will come to College Station, another team with some high expectations. Getting the job done Week 1 would send a message and likely have others hitching to the bandwagon McElroy is driving.

“The Aggies are in the top 20 here in the preseason,” McElroy said. “I think prime position to make some noise if they can win Week 1 against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.”

The post Greg McElroy ranks Texas A&M No. 20 in preseason: ‘They weren’t that far away the last couple years’ appeared first on On3.