You want the truth? Texas A&M didn’t do enough last year.

Sure, the Mike Elko-led Aggies started the 2025 season 10-0, made the College Football Playoff for the first time, and pushed the eventual national runner-up to the final drive at Kyle Field. But if you think the general fan’s view of Texas A&M has changed, it hasn’t.

That’s the harsh reality of college football narrative-busting. Asking Oregon, a premier program in college football, what it actually takes for people to view it differently. It isn’t one season, it isn’t one game, and it certainly isn’t one trip to the CFP.

Texas A&M’s season, though undeniably impressive, still ended with consecutive losses, including a somewhat convincing loss to archrival Texas in Austin.

Same old Aggies, right?

Maybe not.

More familiar news about the big-spending Texas A&M hit the Internet this week. On3’s Pete Nakos reported Wednesday that the Aggies are the biggest spenders in high school recruiting, giving doubters more ammo for the usual tropes. Texas A&M’s 2027 recruiting class currently ranks No. 1 overall in the Rivals Industry Ranking, with six five-star prospects committed.

Five-star offensive tackle and Aggies commit Mark Matthews of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas, the No. 5 overall player and the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2027 class, is among the most expensive high school prospects in the country. 

Seven Power Four general managers told Nakos they believe Texas A&M’s class could be worth more than $10 million, raising the bar yet again for what high school prospects are worth.

“Texas A&M is spending a shit ton — easily $10 million,” an SEC general manager told On3. “We’re probably anywhere from $5 to $7 million.”

What does that remind you of? It was when Texas A&M amassed perhaps the most impressive individual recruiting class ever assembled in 2022. That class featured eight five-star prospects and a staggering 18 players who ranked among the top 125 players nationally.

That’s absurd. What’s even more absurd is that the class fell apart when it reached College Station. Players underperformed, got in trouble, and eventually defected from the program. It was all hype and, ultimately, a massive failure and an embarrassment.

After former head coach Jimbo Fisher was fired, The Athletic published an exposé about what went wrong during his tenure and why he couldn’t get the Aggies to the premier place he had guided Florida State to during the BCS era. Part of that story focused on star-chasing, showing how Fisher and his staff were concerned about how that class looked on paper, not necessarily about internal evaluation, character fits, or how the pieces could come together to create a functional team.

Here goes Texas A&M again, sending money for no reason. It’ll flop like it did last time, right?

Wrong. It’s so wrong.

Elko is different, and people should be able to tell right now. Starting with the hire itself. Why? Because Elko was a functional hire. When Texas A&M paid a record buyout to fire Fisher, it could have done what it always does after. It could have gone out, spent a boatload of money, and tried to make the biggest splash of a hire imaginable. It could have, like it has done so many times in the past, thrown an insane check at a problem and hoped it would go away.

Elko is just a good coach. He cares about culture and elite-level program building, less about how he’s perceived or what people are saying on social media. Since his arrival at Texas A&M, the Aggies have gradually improved. Yes, A&M is spending money — welcome to college football in 2026 and beyond — but it’s not being done the same way it has been in the past.

This isn’t about spraying dollar bills into the air at a nightclub and hoping it makes a difference. This is calculated, well-allocated spending commensurate with what it takes to be competitive in this market. Yes, Texas A&M has always had the funds. It has never spent them properly.

What if it is now?

“They got some really good players,” another SEC general manager told Nakos. “Rankings aside, we liked a lot of the guys they’re taking. They took some freaking great players. Elko’s a damn good coach. This isn’t going to be Jimbo Fisher all over again. Not that Jimbo isn’t a good coach. Elko’s at a different point in his career.”

Nailed it.

There’s no telling how good Texas A&M will be in 2026. Last season, most people weren’t sure what to expect from the Aggies, yet they made the CFP. This offseason feels a lot like last offseason, though quarterback Marcel Reed is a better-known commodity. We know Texas A&M has athletes, but is it CFP-good again? Who knows, but here’s what we should know now: Elko shouldn’t be doubted.

Texas A&M has always been one of the premier jobs in college football. Geographical location as it pertains to recruiting territory, stadium size, fan buy-in, tradition, wealth, all of it. It’s almost staggering how this program hasn’t had more success traditionally.

But as the sport evolves, so should our mindsets.

What happened in 2015 doesn’t matter right now. Heck, what happened last year doesn’t, either. Rosters are turning over at a record pace, and there’s more emphasis now on coaching and evaluation than at any other time in recent memory.

Texas A&M has money. And it has an amazing head coach.

That’s a pretty killer combo.