Texas A&M's head coach Mike Elko took the podium on Thursday morning during the final day of SEC Media Days this week. The annual event featured all 16 head football coaches and player representatives to give fans a closer look at what to expect during the upcoming 2024 campaign.

The Aggies are coming off a disappointing 2023 season, which ended with the firing of former head coach Jimbo Fisher, whose $76 million buyout left a bad taste in the mouths of everyone involved, outside of the man who will never have to work another day in his life if he so chooses.

However, after hiring Elko, who returns to College Station after serving as the program's defensive coordinator from 2018-2021, success in the transfer portal and the recruiting trail represents a promising start in his hopefully long tenure. Spending his last two seasons as Duke's head coach, Elko was named ACC Coach of the Year after the 2022 season while winning an impressive nine games last season.

With Intelligence, confidence, and an elite defensive background, Elko has all the makings of becoming an instant success, but as we all know, the results on the field are all that matters in the long run. Here is what he had to say among the national and local media during SEC Media Days.

The Athletic Department has never been stronger

"The current alignment at our university from president, athletic director to head football coach has never been stronger."

Elko thanks SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey

"I want to thank Commissioner Sankey for the leadership he provides for the conference. Under his leadership, the SEC has established itself as the premier conference in the country, not just for football but across all sports."

Elko on focusing on player's ongoing mental health hurdles

It is a challenging time for our student-athletes."

"We cannot lose sight of the fact that they're still 18-21 years old and still in the developmental stage of their lives. … It can be a lot for a young man to cope with."

The season is just weeks away!

"It's an exciting time at Texas A&M. … It's an exciting time to get ready to get back on the field."

"I'm proud of how quiet our offseason has been. I'm proud of how quickly our players have adapted to a new culture."

This team is clearly ahead of schedule

Make no mistake: There is still a lot of work to be done for us to meet the full potential of what we are capable of."

"It's an exciting time to be a Texas A&M Aggie."

Elko on recruiting battles with Oklahoma and Texas

"There have been recruiting wars between those three schools since long before I was born. … Those three brands hold a lot of weight in this state."

Elko on the challenges in recruiting the state of Texas

"Each kid has to go through their process and figure out what the right fit for them is. I don't know if a league gives you that leg up. We have to be a program that people want to be a part of. It's no secret that recruiting in this state is incredibly competitive. It's not just us and Texas."

Elko on the need to win now

"I don't think this is a patient era. You don't come to Texas A&M with what we're capable of doing and talk about building for the future."

"I'm excited because I think our kids have embraced that. They've bought into what we want to be about."

Elko on if Texas A\u0026amp;M is using artificial intelligence within the program

"No, not yet. Some of those conversations have started off the record with roles in which AI can be utilized. Right now, we're still into using our analyst and data reports."

Elko on the return of the Lone Star Showdown

"It would be hard to equate something that happened in South Brunswick, NJ, to this rivalry."

"Now that we're playing and in the same conference again, that's something that means a lot to our people, and it means a lot to our program."

Elko on how the offensive line has improved this offseason

"It starts with the work we put in during the offseason with Coach Moffitt." "I just think we have to be intentional in how we put those kids in position to be successful. It's not lost on anybody how our ability to keep our quarterback healthy is going to play a huge role in our success this season."

Elko on the wide receiver corp neeting to \u0022take the next step\u0022

"If you look at the best offenses in this conference, it's usually not one guy. It's a handful of players that can threaten a defense." "It's critical for all of our wide receivers to take the next step this offseason."

(Elko mentioned Noah Thomas, Jahdae Walker, Moose Muhammad and Cyrus Allen as receivers who have made strides this offseason.)

Elko on the transition to becoming Texas A\u0026amp;M's head coach

"When you're an assistant coach, you think you know everything it takes to be a head coach, but until you go and sit in that chair, you have no idea."

"I'm extremely thankful to all of the people at Duke. ... Being in that chair is the only way to prepare to be in that chair, and now coming back to this conference that got only strong this year, that experience is something to lean on."

Elko on what he's most excited about once the season begins

"The biggest thing is being able to come out of the tunnel on game day. ... I spent all of my time in the press box, so I never got to experience Kyle Field from field level."

"I'm excited to lead our team down the tunnel for the first time against Notre Dame and hear Aggieland erupt."

Elko on facing Notre Dame to open the 2024 season

"The benefit of having that game in the opener is you have everyone's attention. ... I think that has created urgency in our program going all the way back to January."

"It's going to be a level playing field for both of us, and we'll go out there and put our best foot forward."

Elko on Texas A\u0026amp;M's \u0022quiet\u0022 offseason

"You earn the right to have success in the game of football. ... That's what the offseason is all about."

"I don't know if I intentionally changed our thought process at Texas A&M. That's just how I believe programs should be. When it's not football team, we should be working."

Elko on starting quarterback Conner Weigman's status

"He just needs to stay focused on the day-to-day of becoming a great quarterback. Obviously, he was playing at a high level through six games."

"It's his third year of college football, but he has only played six games."

Elko on Shemar Turner's move into the interior of the defensive line

"I think a big piece of that was the intention when we recruited him. We felt that was probably his best position moving forward to the next level."

"That was a big piece of his decision to come back was being able to slide inside. ... I think he's going to have a phenomenal year this year in there."

Elko on the 12-team CFB Playoff expansion

"Spending four years in this conference, there were a lot of years where I thought there were more teams deserving of being in the playoffs."

"This conference has clearly established itself as being the premier conference, and now, what you have is more access."

Elko on facing his former Duke QB Riley Leonard, who now plays for Notre Dame

"Riley is a phenomenal quarterback… The idea of playing him in the opener certainly isn't lost on me."

"It will be a healthy competition. I have so much respect for him and his family."

More on facing the Texas Longhorns

"That is something we take very seriously. It means an awful lot to our fanbase and program. The history of that rivalry and the tradition… I grew up a football fan. I remember watching it on Thanksgiving with R.C. (Slocum) and that defense."

Elko on the everchanging college football landscape

"There are two great programs within this state. Now, we are in the same conference and we play each other. That stuff will get settled in recruiting battles and on the field."

"We believe we have the infrastructure and resources to be the premier football program in the country. We aren't the only school that thinks that."

Elko on what led him to interview current Texas A\u0026amp;M OC Collin Klein

"The thing that drew me to Collin (Klein) was his knowledge of the game of football… His intelligence level and understanding of how to attack defenses."

Elko on the differnce between him and former HC Jimbo Fisher

"We haven't looked back a lot."

"I haven't spent a ton of time worrying about what's different."

Elko on his realistic coaching approach

"We had some real honest conversations about where we were as a program."

"We were a 12-13 football program the last two years. The only way to change that is to work."

This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M HC Mike Elko speaks during SEC Media Days