Mike Elko shares not so secret keys that helped unlock Texas A&M Aggies wide receivers as QB Marcel Reed continues to develop
Texas A&M wide receivers are taking the offense to another level and it’s no mistake
The Texas A&M Aggies are succeeding offensively in a spot where they haven’t in quite some time: the wide receiver position. Sure, Evan Stewart and Ainias Smith would create some highlight plays here and there in recent years, but despite all the decent recruiting at the position the production had never lived up to the hype.
However, that’s not the case anymore–not this year anyway. Star transfers KC Concepcion and Mario Craver, plus a few other emerging talents have completely changed the game. Why though? How did that happen? The answer is never just one thing when it comes to positional development, but Mike Elko shared the not so secret keys to some of that success this week on his call with SEC media.
Holmon Wiggins’ proven wide receiver development was a must for Elko and it’s paying off
Through two weeks of Texas A&M college football action this year the Aggies already have two wide receivers with three touchdowns. Last year the Aggies only had one receiver catch three touchdowns on the entire season. KC Concepcion and Mario Craver have been phenomenal. Ashton Bethel-Roman and Terry Bussey have emerged as legitimate third and fourth option receiving threats who can make big plays. The wide receiver room is just completely different this year.
Part of that is just the level of talent that Mike Elko brought in via the transfer portal, but it was the coaching that got those players up to speed so quickly. Elko credited Holmon Wiggins on Wednesday for some of his developmental abilities, and talked through how he came to Texas A&M:
“Yeah, I think it’s been well documented, our need to enhance the play that we had in the wide receiver room. Whether that was recruiting, coaching, whatever the case may be, we had hit a drought with top end wide receiver talent. When I got the job here and started doing research on it, Holman was a guy who immediately leaped to the forefront because of his track record, and what he did at Alabama. Also what he had done at Virginia Tech in terms of developing and recruiting wide receivers. He had been producing NFL draft picks, and specifically first round draft picks. Then Holman had a tie with Trooper Taylor on our staff. He actually played for Trooper at New Mexico, and I think that kind of created a little bit of the connection. In the end, we were able to lure him away from Alabama.”
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For those unfamiliar, Wiggins helped get multiple wide receivers drafted out of both Memphis and Virginia Tech. Then he went on to develop elite talents like DeVonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, Jaylen Waddle, and John Metchie at Alabama. Landing Wiggins was a huge deal last season, and it’s paying off big time in 2025 already.
Wiggins was already able to get the most out of Noah Thomas a year ago, developing his route tree, spurring him on towards his best career season. This year, Wiggins has found ways to develop more nuance with second year transfer wide receiver Mario Craver’s game too. Craver has always been an undersized, fast wide receiver, but his ball tracking and route running are on another level now.
John Perry is an assistant WRs coach that fits new era in coaching
Thanks to new rules implemented via the NCAA just before the 2024 season, teams are no longer limited on their “on-field coaching staff”. It used to be a maximum of 11 “countable” on-field coaches. Once that rule was change to be truly “unlimited”, Mike Elko decided he would immediately address positions of need at Texas A&M, especially wide receiver, by bringing in high quality coaches like John Perry:
“Yeah, so I’ve known John [for a long time]. John was the offensive coordinator at Hofstra when I was the defensive coordinator in 2006. That’s when John and I worked together for the first time. He’s a phenomenal wide receiver coach. I think what created the opportunity was the rule change [for maximum number of coaches on staff]. When it became viable for everybody on the staff to coach, I think we started trying to open our mind up to what that could look like. Adding John as another experienced veteran wide receiver coach who has spent a ton of time in the NFL–he worked with the DeAndre Hopkins in Houston for a long time. I think that just enhances everything that we’re doing. Coaching, game planning, the specifics of how we’re trying to run our passing game. I just think it was a great opportunity to go bring in a really good coach.”
Fans and media don’t always give credit to or even think about a team’s assistant wide receivers coach, but John Perry has worked with some of the best in the business dating back to the early 1990s. Landing a coach like Perry who assisted DeAndre Hopkins in growing into the future Hall of Famer he became is a huge win. Having NFL-level coaching has already helped KC Concepcion turn his “slot-only” skill set into a well-rounded do-everything red zone and explosive play weapon (as you can see a sample of in my post below).
It’s still early in the year. Texas A&M has to prove that Marcel Reed and their newfound special wide receivers can produce against top tier SEC competition, but it’s obvious that Mike Elko has put his players in the best position possible to succeed by surrounding them with the right staff.
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