Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko’s second season at the helm ended at 11-2 and 7-1 in SEC play, and while the Aggies lost to Texas on the road to end the regular season, this was the program’s best finish since the early 1990’s, and the Aggies’ first bid to the College Football Playoff since its inception.
Overall, the 2025 season was undeniably successful, as Elko’s 8-5 finish during his inaugural 2024 campaign did not instill a ton of confidence from the fanbase, but further proved that the former Duke head coach was brought in to build the program towards long-term success, especially in the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
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After trading starts with quarterback Conner Weigman, who transferred to Houston last offseason, redshirt sophomore signal caller Marcel Reed took another step in his development, while connecting with star transfer wide receivers KC Concepcion and Mario Craver for over 1,800 yards and 13 touchdowns, and threw for a career high 3,192 yards and 25 touchdowns.
While the midseason injury to senior running back Le’Veon Moss certainly placed a cloud over the offense, the elite passing game, combined with sophomore running back Rueben Owens stepping up in Moss’s absence, kept the Aggies undefeated before falling to Texas on the road.
Defensively, senior edge Cashius Howell finished the year tied for first in sacks (11.5) and was named a unanimous All-American. However, as we’ve seen with many great teams in the past, the College Football Playoff can be extremely humbling, as it was for the Aggies in Kyle Field after falling to eventual championship runner-up Miami on a windy afternoon, ending Elko’s second season with a disappointing 10-3 loss.
After Indiana’s 27-21 win over Miami in the National Championship Game on Monday night, the final US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25 was released, as the Aggies finished the 2025 season in the top 10 at No. 8.
|
1 |
Indiana |
16-0 |
1550 |
62 |
1 |
– |
1/21 |
|
2 |
Miami (FL) |
13-3 |
1485 |
0 |
10 |
+8 |
2/18 |
|
3 |
Ole Miss |
13-2 |
1400 |
0 |
6 |
+3 |
3/15 |
|
4 |
Oregon |
13-2 |
1349 |
0 |
5 |
+1 |
2/9 |
|
5 |
Georgia |
12-2 |
1269 |
0 |
2 |
-3 |
2/10 |
|
6 |
Ohio State |
12-2 |
1265 |
0 |
3 |
-3 |
1/6 |
|
7 |
Texas Tech |
12-2 |
1142 |
0 |
4 |
-3 |
4/24 |
|
8 |
Texas A&M |
11-2 |
1091 |
0 |
7 |
-1 |
3/22 |
|
9 |
Alabama |
11-4 |
1050 |
0 |
11 |
+2 |
4/20 |
|
10 |
Oklahoma |
10-3 |
946 |
0 |
8 |
-2 |
6/NR |
|
11 |
Notre Dame |
10-2 |
901 |
0 |
9 |
-2 |
5/21 |
|
12 |
BYU |
12-2 |
868 |
0 |
13 |
+1 |
8/NR |
|
13 |
Texas |
10-3 |
840 |
0 |
14 |
+1 |
1/19 |
|
14 |
Utah |
11-2 |
772 |
0 |
15 |
+1 |
14/NR |
|
15 |
Vanderbilt |
10-3 |
602 |
0 |
12 |
-3 |
11/NR |
|
16 |
Virginia |
11-3 |
567 |
0 |
21 |
+5 |
11/NR |
|
17 |
Iowa |
9-4 |
410 |
0 |
NR |
+9 |
17/NR |
|
18 |
Tulane |
11-3 |
369 |
0 |
18 |
– |
18/NR |
|
19 |
Houston |
10-3 |
349 |
0 |
24 |
+5 |
19/NR |
|
20 |
James Madison |
12-2 |
342 |
0 |
19 |
-1 |
19/NR |
|
21 |
USC |
9-4 |
309 |
0 |
16 |
-5 |
16/NR |
|
22 |
Michigan |
9-4 |
276 |
0 |
17 |
-5 |
13/NR |
|
23 |
Navy |
11-2 |
164 |
0 |
25 |
+2 |
23/NR |
|
24 |
Georgia Tech |
9-4 |
126 |
0 |
22 |
-2 |
7/NR |
|
25 |
Illinois |
9-4 |
123 |
0 |
NR |
+7 |
8/NR |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 20 Arizona; No. 23 Tennessee;
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Others Receiving Votes
North Texas 107; Washington 92; SMU 89; Duke 82; Arizona 79; TCU 72; Tennessee 22; Louisville 13; Wake Forest 6; Old Dominion 6; Western Michigan 5; Connecticut 4; Missouri 3; Boise State 2; Pittsburgh 1; East Carolina 1; Army West Point 1;
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M ranked No. 8 in the final US LBM Coaches Poll
