Head coach Mike Elko speaks with ESPN's Pete Thamel

USA Today Sports

question: “What were the first few months like?”

answer: “A whirlwind of epic proportions. I don't know how to describe coming into work without staff on the day the portal window opens, two weeks before the contract date. Why not put all this together into a puzzle? So yeah, I mean, it's a big deal, so you have to be really patient and put it together in a way that you believe in and get it going in the direction you want it to go.”

Jaylin Nash-USA TODAY Sports

question: “If you look back at the last two coaches at Texas A&M, it's a case of neither of them building a solid foundation. They had some explosive momentum, but not a lot of consistency. What do I need to do to move forward from there?”

A: “I think it starts with good people. Every fundamental program starts there, it starts with getting the right people, it starts with getting the right people on this floor of coaching. We need to start by having the right people in the building, including support staff, strength and conditioning departments with analytical roles, and then we need to build a culture within the locker room. I think that's the basics that a lot of people lose sight of, right? We have a great facility base here, but within that we need to build a foundational core of who the program will be for. ”

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

question: “What lessons did you learn from your last mission here?”

answer: “The unique thing about me sitting here (as defensive coordinator) for four years is that I know all the reasons why this place can win national championships, and I also know maybe some of the reasons why we failed. I mean, I'm coming in with a unique perspective. I'm coming in with more knowledge of what Texas A&M is. It's only going to help me be smarter about how we build this place. I think it has to be, because this is a place where there are high expectations and where we definitely have to win now. But we still have to focus on building it in a way that can sustain success over the long term. We focus on doing that.”

Jaylin Nash-USA TODAY Sports

question: “Kickoff is still a long way off, but what can we expect from Texas A&M this year?”

answer: “I think you're going to see a team that's willing to play for each other and for this university. I think you're going to see a team that plays with a lot of grit and toughness. I think that's what you've seen from the defenses that we've coached the last two years in. I think that's certainly what you've seen and I think we're going to work to make that into a product, and our fans. I think they're going to love going out and supporting this team and watching how they conduct themselves and how they play the game.”

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

question: “How much did you learn in your two years at Duke? Sure, you've been to a lot of places and a lot of different kinds of places, but there's nothing like sitting in a chair.”

answer: “You just learn how to be the CEO of a football program. By the time you sit down in the chair, you can do all the preparation you need to do and have everything around the program involved in the decision-making. You have to understand that you're responsible for everything from overseeing ticket sales. You have to be involved in every part of the program yourself. If you're a defensive coordinator, quantify that. So I think it's just figuring out what it's all about and how it all comes together. We certainly had a lot of success at Duke, but for two years Looking back, there are a lot of things we could have done better, we could have fixed some things, we could have changed some things.”

Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

question: “You talked a little bit about some of the intangibles of what you look for in your identity. What about on the field? We have an established quarterback in Connor Weigman, but that's a big part of the whole thing. .”

answer: “We actually adopted the Cypress area, which is where Connor is from, because Connor is unique. And of course, we all know that Connor was a phenomenal baseball player even in high school. He was always in the same organization as my son (who plays at Richmond), and as the years went on, Michael actually got to play with us a few times towards the end of his career, but… It was always just a name. He always knew Connor. Connor was like a big kid on the baseball field and football field in Texas. So, finally getting a chance to coach him for a year or two. I went around for this.”

Peter Aiken – Getty Images

question: “One of your big acquisitions is Colin Kline as your offensive coordinator. Obviously, he and Conner are going to be linked at the hip next year. It's early again, but how has it been so far?”

answer: “I think first of all, we have Colin Klein. He's one of the smartest young guys in college football right now, and he definitely plays the position at a very high level and from a toughness standpoint. He's a guy who's done it at a very high level from 'level. And I think all of that comes with a certain level of respect. So you announce Colin as his OC, and then suddenly 12 hours later Connor comes here and says he wants to talk to him. And then we see them meet and start building a relationship. And then we have two other quarterbacks in Jalen Henderson and Marcell Reed who are also very talented and we're starting to see them coming. So, [quarterback] Room means everything, right? From the NFL to college football, everyone knows this. The ability to develop and play at a high level as a quarterback is what will win or lose football games. I think it's moving in a very good direction. ”

Brett Davis – USA TODAY Sports

question: “A lot has been said about who left this offseason. But what has become clear as we make many hires is the resources we have here to build an elite roster in the SEC. Please tell us a little bit about what's available here.”

answer: “If you look at a place that has spent almost $1 billion in facility renovations over the last 10 years, we are right in the middle of the nation's most talent-rich state, Dallas and Houston, two of the nation's most talent-producing cities. I think we're looking at a place in the middle, meaning we have everything we need to build a championship-level program. We gave this team this idea when we first met. I think we communicated that. We know what we're capable of, but we also needed to understand where we are and that we have a lot of work to accomplish from there. I We are getting as far as we can go.”

Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

question: “This is familiar territory for the Elko crew. Where did you go to eat when everyone got back?”

answer: “The first place we went to eat was at Walk-On's. We kind of snuck into the back corner of Walk-On's and, yeah, we had a really good meal.”

Lance King – Getty Images

question: “There's a lot of optimism from the new manager here. What on earth is this place going to become?”

answer: “I think this is one of the places in modern college football that has a chance to be at the top, and there aren't a lot of places that have all the foundations that haven't done it yet. So, to some degree, it's a uniquely special place. There's a place and I think somebody is going to come in here and have a group of players, a group of coaches do this right, which is a first in the modern era of college football. I'm excited to be a part of that for sure. And I think there are a lot of people who agree with that story.”

Matt Cashore – USA TODAY Sports

question: “With Notre Dame being the opener, I think a lot of people will be paying attention right away.”

answer: “The whole irony of it. Both are from their days at Notre Dame, and obviously there's a quarterback over there that I know well. But for an occasion like that, for a stage like this, I think we'll be back there and it's obviously going to be a great opener for us and definitely a challenge that we're looking forward to.”