Texas A&M's 2026 season opener vs. Missouri State is just two days away, as third-year coach Mike Elko and his revamped roster will embark on what should be one of the toughest schedules in the country after finishing 11-2, including the program's first trip to the College Football Playoff. On Wednesday, the first SEC teleconference of the year included several notable quotes from Mike Elko, who continued his pre-game preview before facing the Bears. Elko also made appearances on 105.3 The Fan earlier in the day, providing one of his better quotes of the week. One of the nagging offseason narratives surrounding the Aggies' 2026 roster, made up of 65% of the 2025 team, 17 transfer portal additions, and the 2026 signing class, has been the lack of continuity after losing star wide receiver KC Concepcion and unanimous All-American Edge Cashius Howell, who were selected in the first and second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, among a record 10 players selected. On paper, Northwestern transfer Edge Anto Saka and former Alabama receiver Isaiah Horton should fill those gaps, combined with four new offensive line starters needing to gel early in the year. While A&M's new nine-game SEC schedule will be extremely challenging, preseason predictions are absolutely worthless before games are played, and Elko agrees.
"Last year in the offseason, nobody knew who Cashius Howell was, and every question I got was about replacing Shemar Turner, Shemar Stewart and Nic Scourton, and about how our schedule was brutal." "This offseason has been the same thing."
Anto Saka, despite being a popular name among NFL scouts, is not nationally known and has been borderline unblockable and dominant against the run, according to senior safety Marcus Ratcliffe. Combined with sophomore Edge Marco Jones and senior defensive end T.J. Searcy, Texas A&M's pass rush will need a collective effort to match last season's production. Texas A&M will face LSU, Missouri, Alabama, South Carolina, and Oklahoma on the road before hosting Texas at the end of the season, but no one knows how all five teams will look by the time the Aggies hit the road, which was the case this time last season. 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: Mike Elko shrugs off Texas A&M roster concerns before 2026 opener