It’s THursday night, and you know what that means: Time for Mail Call!

Q: Do you have a pretty good idea who our starting 5 basketball players will be? (H273)
A: Honestly, no. It depends on a lot of things, including who’s eligible. Rylan Griffen remains a question, as does Jordan Pope to a lesser extent. But I can definitely take a guess, given Bucky McMillan’s penchant for offense:

C: Mackenzie Mgbako

PF: Cade Phillips

G: PJ Haggerty

G: Griffen

G: Jalen Reece

If they want to go big, they can put Jamie Vinson in the middle. If they want to go really big, they can have Vinson in the middle, Mgbako at the 4 and Zach Clemence essentially playing small forward. There are a lot of moving pieces with this roster.

Q: Is there any realistic scenario where Elko is forced to dump one or two coordinators? (Rick77)
A: At the end of the season? Sure, if they don’t show marked improvement.

1. I do understand that Brady Hart is basically just out of HS. But it’s the coaching staff’s responsibility to have the 2nd string ready to go as injuries to QB 1 become more and more common. What do you think would happen IF Brady got an SEC start, say at South Carolina?

A: I don’t know, but if you’re going to give him a spot start, do it at home. And I don’t see him going out there just to see what he can do; if he goes out there, the idea will be he doesn’t come back out.

2. Is the OL lacking talent or coaching at this point?

Talent and cohesion.

3. Is Elko as stubborn as Jimbo when it comes to making changes?

Oh, hell no. Not even close. Jimbo brought in Bobby Petrino to take over the offense, said it was totally his and then forced Petrino to use his scheme. Elko walked in Monday and went (paraphrasing), “Oh, by the way, I stopped calling plays three weeks ago. It wasn’t helping.”

4. Do we have a chance in 2 weeks at Alabama? (Tsip Despiser)

If they play the way they should, yes. If they keep playing like this they’ll be blown out.

Q: What are you hearing on how bad Brady Hart is? I realize he’s young but it’s difficult for me to imagine he could be worse than game day Marcel and have a schollie much less any NIL? (91Ag)
A: From what I saw of him in practices, he looked fine to me. Then again, so did Reed.

Q: 1. So do you think that QB1 lights it up in practice and just freezes up when Saturday rolls around? Just wondering what the thinking is regarding not playing Hart a little bit more when it’s obvious that the wheels have fallen off (for example after the third quarter against Mizzou). It’s like the coaches keep waiting for the light to come on with Reed and it never happens.

A: I think that’s possible, but it’s odd because we’ve seen him perform under very bright lights before. We’re talking about a guy who lit up Notre Dame in South Bend and LSU in Baton Rouge, at night, in front of national TV audiences.

2. Do you think Hart got more snaps with the first team offense this week? What do you think the trigger will be (if any) for Elko to put him in the game?

He might. They’re playing The Citadel.

3. Do you think Klein saw something with Reed and just built the offense to avoid those flaws? If so, it seems like the other offensive coaches would’ve picked up on that and carried it over to 2026. For example, Tres Amigos podcast has mentioned that Reed is not good with RPOs and they showed plenty of examples to prove that point.

Outside of the run up the gut on second and long, I largely liked the games Klein called. I think we’re seeing how good he was at that now. One thing that has struck me is how few playcalls we’ve seen throwing to the deep middle. KC Concepcion and Mario Craver at defenses alive with those last year. This year, either those patterns aren’t being run or Reed isn’t seeing them.

Q: Do you think that Marcel will show improvement for us next year after an offseason of working with our QB coach?

A: If anyone honestly says they know to expect with QB1 right now, they’re lying. I expected a big step forward. I was clearly wrong.

Is there going to be any real consequence for LSU in giving the SEC the finger? (Graham Cracka)
I personally doubt it, but it’s not impossible either. The federal suit is still out there and the rest of the conference still seems very pissed off. I said about a month ago that there was still time for Will Wade to piss everyone off to nuclear levels, and he still has a chance to do it. If they try to play RJ Luis, they will get booted.

Q: At the midpoint of the season, it’s pretty evident that a lot of our portal additions haven’t been as good as we hoped or expected.
Do you think that’s from bad evaluations, bad coaching, or overselling the transfers we got?

A: They got some good players. It’s just that, unlike the past two seasons, they’re just not fitting well. Tyree Adams was an ok tackle. He’s still an ok tackle. Trovon Baugh didn’t impress me at South Carolina and he’s not doing much for me now. Wilkin Formby had to move because they needed a right guard because Coen Echols wasn’t what they expected. I don’t know how you evaluate the tight ends and receivers because the quarterback play has been so bad.

On defense, the transfer tackles have disappointed. CJ Mims has been average; at this rate, he won’t come close to the production they got from Albert Regis or Tyler Onyedim last year. Angelo McCullom has been a huge disappointment. Brandon Davis-Swain looks like he may be a player. At linebacker, Ray Coney has been ok. Not the huge difference maker that was hoped for. Tawfiq Byard looks like the real deal at safety, but Rickey Gibson has been a non-factor at corner. I don’t know if this is schematic or what, but a lot of players who looked like savvy pickups in February aren’t contributing in October.

Assuming we only lose guys who run out of eligibility (big assumption), what do you think needs to be addressed most in the offseason?

Quarterback, running back, offensive line and defensive line. That’s about it.
Does the fact that we’re in the NIL era help with a season like this when it comes to the possible wavering of our HS recruits? (Bear_P_I)

You’d better believe it.

Q: What happens to our recruiting if/when we finish 4-8 this year? (WhartonBones)

A: I hope we don’t find out.

Q: Are you concerned about the diminishing percentage of Texans on our roster and in the commitment list?

A: No. Absolutely not. This is the SEC and recruiting is a national game. If you want elite talent, you go after it nationwide. Sometimes, you won’t find what you need in Texas in a given year and you have to be able to look elsewhere.

Is there any correlation to the incredible lack of energy and passion this team plays with? This reduced Texas influence seems to be not optimal long term. (ShowMeYourTDs)
I don’t think this is the Battle of San Jacinto here. Last year’s team had a ton of players from out of state and their effort was never questioned. You want to tell me Trey Zuhn (Colorado), LeVeon Moss (Louisiana), Chase Bisontis (New Jersey), KC Concepcion (North Carolina), Scooby Williams (Alabama), Cashius Howell (Kansas City), Will Lee (St. Louis), Mario Craver (Alabama), Nate Boerkircher (Nebraska) and Tyreek Chappell (Philly) didn’t play hard? And those are only a few of the out-of-staters I could point to. So no, I don’t see any correlation whatsoever.

Q: Any chance (Elko) starts Hart against the Citadel? (OGHogtide78)

A: If Reed’s healthy, he starts. And Reed is healthy.

Q: Do you need more questions about Hart?

A: No.

Do you think Hart visualizes himself throwing six TD passes against The Citadel?

Probably more.

Do you think Hart’s girlfriend is pretty?

Never seen her, but he’s an SEC quarterback. Draw your own conclusions.

Do you think when Hart drops back to pass he wonders if this is the play where he gets his clock cleared?

No.

Do you think Hart ever wanted to play linebacker?
I’m beginning to wish I had.

Do you think Hart has the arm strength that Weigman has?

Yes.,

Do you think Weigman and Hart would be good teammates?

Don’t care.

This may have already been asked, do you think Hart will start the game Saturday? (Reckless75)

NO!

Q: What is your estimate of the portal price tag for 5 New OL after this season? (Parlay75)

A: Well, you’re not going to have replace all of them. In fact, I would advise everyone who has eligibility left to sit their happy butts down and get ready for a year of grad school because the film ain’t gonna help them right now. And, with the extra year of eligibility thanks to the 5 for 5 rule, that includes Tyree Adams, Trovon Baugh and Wilkin Formby. They could trot out four of the same five players with Echols replacing Nabou at center next year. It’s very possible.

Q: What are the reasons to see this iteration of a failed Aggie team are different from the last 3 coaches? Are there good examples of a HC firing OC/DC after one year and righting the ship? Fran, Sherman, Sumlin and Fisher all had death knell seasons they never recovered from, I’d like to find reasons to believe it is different with Elko. (LonestarAg05)

A: I’ll give you two reasons: the loyalty of the players to him and the fact he’s not in over his head. Nobody liked Fran and he was in over his head. Everyone liked Sherm but he was in over his head. Sumlin eventually entered Fran territory. Jimbo let the inmates run the asylum. I have never heard an Aggie player who has played for Mike Elko say anything bad about him. I’m not saying everyone adores him, but this group seems very united. Also, I think Elko not only has a vision, but actually knows how it can be implemented. Fran and Sherm didn’t. I don’t know if Sumlin ever thought that far ahead. Jimbo just thought he’d do the same thing he did at FSU and it would work again, and it clearly didn’t.

Q: With all of the unforeseen turmoil that has hit our program this year, whether it being apparent bull headed coaching, inexperienced coordinators, dramatic regression of player’s abilities, controversial comments, dogs and cats living with each other, etc. I think what everyone wants to know, and may be hesitant to ask, is what is your favorite and least favorite color. (GasAg90)

A: Ok, now we’re getting to the serious questions. My favorite color since I was a child was dark blue. My favorite color since 1998 has been maroon. My least favorite color has always been burnt orange and there’s no way that’s changing.

Q: Is Aggie football cursed? (SuperAg1000)

A: I ask myself this question frequently.

Q: Why do college football coaches (Elko included), insist on running the shotgun formation when you are in really short yardage situations like 1 yard to go for a first down or inside the 2 yard line for a touchdown? Makes no sense to me, maybe because we struggle getting the short yardage we need a lot.

A: The theory is that quarterbacks take snaps from under center so infrequently they’re more liable to fumble. My response is simple: PRACTICE IT MORE. It is absolutely counterproductive, in my opinion, to start your back three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage with no head start if you can avoid it.

Does Earley need to make a super regional to keep his job? (Maroon1)

No, I don’t think so. But it would not suck.

Q: Mark, hope you and the family are doing well in health and are happy.

1. Like everyone else, I’m still reeling in shock over how bad the team has played in SEC games. What 2 games (besides FCS Citadel) do you anticipate the Ags will be favored to win to make it to 6-6?

A: Tennessee and Oklahoma are offensively deficient. South Carolina has shown up for one game.

2. How difficult will it be to keep the 2027 recruiting class together through signing day?

It won’t be a walk in the park, but NIL does make for greater stability.

3. What are the issues you think have caused the rapid regression of the offense, especially the offensive line?

Elko and I have butted heads on this, but I really am a big believer on a cohesive five players. (Trigger warning) as a Redskins fan growing up, I got to watch The Hogs. And the names didn’t change much for a decade: Jacoby, Grimm, Bostic, May. Those four were there for three Super Bowls. Then the 1991 team had a group that had been together for multiple years with Jim Lachey, Grimm, Bostic, Mark Schlereth and Jacoby. The great Cowboy offensive lines were the same way.

The 2020 team had an experienced line that took a beating in 2019. The 2025 team had a veteran line that developed together. I see five individuals, not one group, with this unit.

4. If the transfer portal opened tomorrow, what positions do you think would be filled immediately to salvage the season, assuming there were transfers available for those positions? (Chuck70)
I wish it were that simple, especially on offense. You have to teach an entirely new scheme, and that takes time. I think guys being traded, or signed as free agents, in any other sport have it easier than football players. Baseball is essentially the same anywhere you go. Basketball has very limited sets. Hockey, go hit someone, eh? Football, not so much.

Q: Is Carsyn Baker injured or in trouble, or did Morrow take back his snaps? (Doom Buggy)

A: They didn’t run the ball enough, or in situations he’s used in, for him to play last week. Simple as that, I’m afraid.