Texas A&M has turned a lot of notable heads this year with what Mike Elko has been accomplishing in College Station. One of the foremost names in the sport, even after his retirement, is former Alabama coach Nick Saban— widely recognized as the greatest college football coach to ever do it— and he’s a huge fan of what Mike Elko is doing with Texas A&M.
For a guy that is beginning to receive comparisons to Saban, it makes sense that the man himself is enamored of Elko’s process and results down in College Station. In that vein, it is music to the Aggie fan’s ear whenever Saban begins to wax eloquent about what is going on in College Station— and he just had a lot more praise to heap on A&M in a recent interview.
On the Pat McAfee show recently, Saban acknowledges Texas A&M as the only SEC team that has proven they’re a “cut above” the rest of the nation, joining a select group of three.
Nick Saban gives Texas A&M the ultimate respect as a team a “cut above” the rest of the nation
Here were his comments on the Aggies on McAfee’s show:
“There’s three teams that are a cut above right now..
Those three teams are Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Indiana..
The other teams are good enough to beat them but those other teams have flaws” ~ Coach Saban#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Yd87bvXUDe
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 14, 2025
This will no doubt infuriate the rest of the SEC fanbases, as there’s been a lot of talk about how much parity there is in the conference this year. Despite that popular talking point, the Aggies have clearly shown that they are the top dog in the nation’s best and deepest conference— meaning they are a preeminent threat for the national title.
Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss all are hoping to vie for that top spot, but right now, it’s the Aggies’ to lose. They are steamrolling teams right now, and that only looks to continue with the game this weekend against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Whether Crimson Tide, Bulldogs, or Rebels (and, of course, the hapless Longhorns), this will not go down easy when it comes to other teams around the conference— but Saban is a guy that tells it like it is. He’s not going to sugarcoat things, even when it comes to his former teams like LSU or Alabama. He called it like he saw it here, and it shows just how much respect he has for the Aggies.
