We’ve all seen Mike Elko get angry when cameras caught him throwing a folding chair during the Notre Dame game over his team’s mistakes. That was the coach everyone knew. But recently, Elko decided to change his strategy. That brings us to the October 1, 2025, broadcast of "The Aggie Football Hour," a weekly radio show where the Aggies' coach recently appeared.
This time, Elko didn't yell or throw anything but delivered a masterclass in dissent. TexAgs quoted his words on their official twitter account. "I think the officials do an unbelievable job," Elko said. "They're the best thing we have in the SEC. It's a consistent performance week in and week out. I'm just blessed to have them on the football field." The praise was so over-the-top, nobody could miss the real things.
So, why the sudden change from throwing chairs to throwing shade? We’ll come to this next, but first, understand the reason behind this sarcastic take.
During his team's recent 16-10 victory over Auburn, A&M was flagged an incredible 13 times for 119 yards. The most painful flag erased a game-sealing touchdown from Marcel Reed to Mario Craver. A referee called an "ineligible receiver downfield," a borderline call that took six points off the board.
According to an analysis by CFBMatrix from the 2024 season, Texas A&M was the single most disadvantaged team in the nation when it came to subjective penalties like holding, and the data showed that bad calls cost the Aggies an estimated 42 points in home games alone.
Last November, when reporters asked him about a lack of holding calls against A&M's opponents, Elko simply turned the question back on them, asking, "Did you see any holds Saturday night?" Comparing that one, we can say this latest one wasn't Elko’s first jab at the officiating, but it may be his loudest.
Now, Elko’s sarcastic praise puts the SEC officiating in the spotlight once again. SEC Bylaw 10.5 clearly prohibits any public criticism of officials, and they have a history of enforcing it, too. Just last year, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin was fined $25,000 for complaining on social media.
The question remains: How can the league punish Elko for praising them?