With far less fanfare, the Mike Elko era has far succeed the greatest heights of Jimbo Fisher's time in College Station. Texas A&M finished the regular season 11-1 with a 7-1 record in SEC play as a loss to Texas kept the Aggies from playing for a SEC Championship. In just two seasons, Mike Elko has taken Texas A&M to the College Football Playoff, and now it's time to continue building.
Texas A&M is one of the programs best positioned to recruit at an elite level in this NIL and Revenue Sharing era. After signing 5-star cornerback Brandon Arrington last cycle, the Aggies are looking to build on that total and compete for the Nation's top class.
After delivering a beatdown so bad that it led to LSU firing Brian Kelly and Athletic Director Scott Woodward, it appears that Mike Elko isn't finished tormenting the Tigers.
Landing Albert Simien would deal a brutal blow to Lane Kiffin
Among the most highly sought after recruits in the 2027 recruiting cycle, Albert Simien stands out as a recruit almost every school would love to land. At 6-foot-3 and 275 pounds, Albert Simien is alrady built to play guard at the college level.
According to Rivals Industry Recruiting Rankings, Albert Simien is the 12th ranked player in the Country, the 2nd ranked interior offensive lineman in the class, and the 3rd ranked player out of Louisiana. Simien's recruitment appears to be heading towards a duel between in-state LSU and Texas A&M.
On Monday, Albert Simien spoke to Rivals' Sam Spiegelman about how Texas A&M is making a major push to land him.
Texas A&M is pulling out all the stops to land 5-star IOL Albert Simien, writes @samspiegs 👍
— Rivals (@Rivals) March 30, 2026
“They’re getting to know my family and me, and I’m developing relationships with everyone in the building.”
Intel: https://t.co/1Y9L0KwYWm pic.twitter.com/YXaahEUrNP
Mike Elko winning out for Albert Simien would be a major win for Texas A&M, especially considering who they'd be beating out. The Aggies have been incredible on the offensive line under Elko, and he'd land another cornerstone piece to build around while keeping Simien from going to an SEC rival.
Given how much time is still left until Simien signs with a program, this recruitment is far from over for either team. Lane Kiffin has already shown he has all the resources a coach could want, and the Tigers will likely make a strong effort to keep an impressive offensive lineman in Louisiana.