According to a former college quarterback, fans should be “excited” about Year 2 under Mike Elko for the Texas A&M Aggies.

Despite the Texas A&M Aggies coming off a rather optimistic start to the Mike Elko era, there seems to be a notion that the Aggies are “flying under the radar.”

Maybe much of that can be attributed to the disappointing end to the season — where Texas A&M won just one of its last five games — or the fact that the SEC has become even more competitive with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma.

Nevertheless, even with the Aggies seemingly being counted out by most as contenders in the SEC, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy is not one of those selling Texas A&M stock. He seems ready to do the opposite and buy more.

During a recent edition of his Always College Football Podcast, the former Alabama quarterback laid out a case for why the Aggies are ready to take the next step next season.

“Last year, you’re just kind of learning on the fly,” McElroy said. “You had to go with a freshman quarterback. Your starting quarterback was out of the lineup early. You had a new coordinator that was unfamiliar with the SEC, and the offense had different identities almost week to week.”

The Aggies’ offense was a problem last season. Injuries and underperformance at the quarterback position hurt them, but also a lack of explosive playmakers on the outside at receiver.

But things could be different in 2025. The Aggies have used the transfer portal to build around Marcel Reed, who heads into the season as their unquestioned starting quarterback.

“This is a year where [Reed] could be poised for a significant leap,” McElroy said. “They did a great job in the portal building the supporting cast around him.”

The new-look supporting cast includes the transfer portal additions of Kevin Concepcion, Mario Craver, and Jonah Wilson at receiver and former Texas tight end Amari Niblack. Couple those veteran additions with some of the underclassmen that the Aggies had on their roster last season, and the playmaking core looks to be much improved.

However, even with all the excitement surrounding the offense, McElroy noted that Texas A&M also answered his biggest “concern” about how they’d manage to replace the talents of Shemar Stewart, Nic Scourton, and Shemar Turner, three top-65 NFL Draft picks along the defensive line.

“I’m starting to see that this group and some of the portal additions that they’ve made along the defensive line,” McElroy said. “This group might not drop off very much. I’m pretty excited about Year 2 for Mike Elko.”