One of the biggest reasons Texas A&M football went 9-4 last season and was competitive in just about every game was the play of the defense under new defensive coordinator Mike Elko. Jimbo Fisher’s splash hire for the position panned out in a major way, though Elko was inheriting an experienced group and that helped.
The Aggies finished in the Top 50 in both points and yards allowed last season, something they had never done under Kevin Sumlin. A lot of that was Elko’s scheme that he designed to stop the run and put offenses in tough second and third down situations, and some of it was due to the fact the defense had six players who are now on NFL rosters.