"Target could have been Steve Sarkisian": ESPN Analyst drops eye-catching remark on Mike Elko's recent "politician" comments
The No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies (7-1, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over the No. 16 LSU Tigers (6-2, 3-1) in Week 9.
After the win, the Aggies' head coach, Mike Elko, surprised fans during a press conference by calling out other programs and recruiters. Elko's comments led to much speculation on who he was referring to, with ESPN Analyst Rece Davis offering his thoughts.
On Monday's "College GameDay Podcast" episode, Davis shared his suspicions about who Elko's remarks were aimed at. One guess was former Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher. Davis noted that Fisher didn't leave the program on the best of terms. He entertained the prospect of it being LSU head coach Brian Kelly.
"A&M is going to recruit against LSU a lot, and BK, and I say this with admiration because I'm very friendly with Brian Kelly; he is a politician in a good way in that he can make people feel comfortable," Davis said.
Another person that Davis believed Elko could've referred to was Texas Longhorn head coach Steve Sarkisian.
"The low-key target could have also been Steve Sarkisian because now you are back in the conference with Texas, you're always fighting against Texas, and I don't know if Sark fits the mold of what he said, but for all the hundred years that we've been talking about A&M football everything is in some way, shape, form or fashion aimed at Texas," Elko explained.
The ESPN analyst also added that he believed the Aggies didn't want the Longhorns to come into the SEC. Davis asked his co-host Pete Thamel what he thought about the situation, and Thamel quickly shut down the belief that Elko was talking about any of the coaches.
"Directed At Recruits": Pete Thamel opines
Thamel pointed out that after last Saturday's win, Texas A&M recruited wide receivers Jordan Carter, Aaron Gregory, and linebacker Samu Moala. He shared that he was told by a source that Elko was referring to recruits as the Aggies coach wanted to encourage young players to join the program.
"Mike Elko had no target. The predecessor to the quote that went viral was basically directed at recruits," Thamel said.
He also explained that Elko's decision to speak out was a way to reach younger players, encourage them to join his program, and let them know what Texas A&M culture is all about. Thamel acknowledged that the comment raised eyebrows but wasn't meant to shade anyone specifically.
"I was told that fast-talking politician, which opened doors, was really just a euphemism," Thamel shared.
Thamel reckoned that while it was more fun to think Elko was taking digs at other coaches, he probably wasn't intentionally doing so in the press conference.
The Aggies will try to keep their momentum going when they face the South Carolina Gamecocks (4-3, 2-3) this Saturday.