THSCA Convention takes Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko back to roots of coaching

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KBTX) - Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko chuckled as he sat down in front of a small group of reporters inside San Antonio’s Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

Several of those reporters shadowed Elko around the Omni Dallas Hotel a week prior, during Southeastern Conference Media Days, throwing out every existential question that could be asked about the sport of college football.

“You didn’t get enough?” Elko joked as he got settled behind the podium.

For approximately 20 minutes Monday, Elko fulfilled his obligations as the head coach of the Aggies, taking more big-picture questions about his sport. However, the real reason he made the trek to San Antonio was to experience the purity of his profession at the Texas High School Coaches Association Coaching School and Convention.

“It’s an awesome opportunity to come out here,” he said. “It’s one of the best conventions, if not the best convention in the country. And, you know, it’s just a great opportunity for our staff to get out here and mingle with other staffs of colleges in the state and also with all the high school guys. And so, we’re excited to be here. We’re excited to do our part to, kind of, brand football in this state and continue the great reputation of football in the state of Texas.”

While the 92nd annual edition of the convention was Elko’s first as a head coach in the state, it was not his first experience at Coaching School. Elko walked the halls and passed on wisdom while serving as defensive coordinator for the Aggies from 2018 to 2021. Not much has changed, except for requests for the occasional selfie, he said.

“I got a chance to sit in some clinics yesterday and listen to coaches talk and to be able to talk in the hallway with high school coaches,” Elko said. “I just think that’s the reason why we got into this game, back in the day, was the pureness of coaching.”

From his introductory press conference, Elko has stressed the importance of working with Texas high school coaches, as well as the THSCA, in recruiting Texas players to stay in the state. However, Elko has also stressed the importance of stewarding the knowledge of A&M’s coaching staff upon the high school coaches of the state as well.

It’s a bond that was, at times, frayed during the era of former head coach Jimbo Fisher.

“I think it’s gone really well in our eight months,” Elko said. “I think if you ask the high school coaches in and around this building, I think they feel the presence of Texas A&M, the way they would want to.”

From the perspective of the coaches gathered in San Antonio, there has been a change. Elko has been accessible to many coaches around the state, beginning with those in the Brazos Valley when he was first hired in late November. Then, he branched out to some of the most well-respected programs in the state.

DeSoto head coach Claude Mathis has has a long relationship with A&M football, most recently through the recruitment and rise to prominence of DeSoto alumnus Shemar Turner. The Aggies are also have a commitment from 2025 running back Deondrae Riden of the Eagles, a four-star prospect according to 247Sports.com.

“Their head coach came and sat in my office and we had a great talk,” Mathis said. “We had a really good talk. I followed him while he was at Duke and he’s somebody that I admire. Shamar thinks a lot of him. His uncle thinks a lot of him. I know they have really been at my school a lot in the times that they can come. I’m always on the phone with them and they do a great job recruiting.”

While the Aggies don’t currently have any players from Duncanville on their roster, the Panthers are back-to-back 6A state champions. Head coach Reginald Samples said he too has welcomed Elko personally to his campus for a visit and a conversation. However, as recruiting with a new staff has forced a warp-speed timeline, Elko brought his whole staff to Duncanville to scout and converse with prospects, Samples said.

“I will say that I’m really impressed with Coach Elko, but I’ve always been,” Samples said. “I’m big watcher of college football and I thought he did a great job at Duke… I’ve always been impressed with the job that he’s doing, but actually meeting him showed me why he’s done such a good job.”

So, for as welcoming as high school coaches in the state of Texas have been to Elko and his staff in their short time at the helm of the Aggies, Elko wants to return the favor. Some of that began over the last two days in San Antonio.

“To me, our relationship isn’t about just taking kids or recruiting, it’s also about a service element in that — there’s a lot of high school coaches in this state that we have a lot of experience and a lot of resources to help grow, help talk football with,” Elko said. “We can learn from them, they can learn from us. That relationship, in and of itself, I think — when you’re a school like Texas A&M in the state of Texas — is really critical. So, we want to open up practice. We want people to be able to come out and watch. We want people to be around in the winter and the spring to talk football. Those things we take very seriously.”