The Departure of Noah Thomas Is Evidence of Texas A&M’s Ongoing “Culture” Reset

The Texas A&M Aggies discovered the hard way that no player is completely untouchable, and they will have to deal with an annual churn with the transfer portal. But it’s just part of the agreement ahead of Mike Elko’s second season.

Mike Elko confronted the truth of his predicament while standing in a locker room in Sin City, hoping that what had just happened would stay in Las Vegas.

It was a difficult undertaking to take over the football program at Texas A&M Aggies. He was aware of it. In actuality, his predecessor was paid tens of millions of dollars to leave the state, and his predecessor of less than a day was vetoed before ever entering College Station.

He was not going to be like that. However, after just one season in charge, his Aggies were sweating and losing, and their record was no better than that of previous years, which also led to firings. It appeared that there was a cause for this:

The Aggies did not meet expectations.

“This is what I told our guys in the locker room,” Elko said after Texas A&M’s last mistake against the Trojans from USC. “This is the reality of our situation.”

The coach said the Aggies have mastered accountability. must look out for one another. They developed a strong work ethic, learnt how to work as a team, and practiced a lot. That substantially improved the team’s off-field dynamics and Aggieland’s general culture.

The product they put on the field, however, was what they failed to see. With the exception of an anticipated tune-up victory over New Mexico State, Texas A&M’s last significant victory was in October after the team started 6-0 and undefeated in SEC play but lost its next three conference games.

Then came the news. In Year 2 of the Elko era, Noah Thomas, the anticipated top pick for the Aggies the next season, was on his way out after just four days earlier sitting next to his coach and answering questions about the bowl loss in anticipation of what lay ahead.

This was the one we truly wanted,” Thomas remarked. “We really wanted this to be the first win of next season.”

Was the loss the final straw for him? He had, after all, shown no signs of dissatisfaction, and the Aggies were anticipated to accept a number of additional soldiers who were acquiring weapons through the transfer portal, creating one of the strongest corps in the country based on the increasing senior.

Elko has indeed played this game previously. He had comparable hopes for the Maroon & White going into Texas A&M after leading the Duke Blue Devils to 16 victories in two seasons prior, which was more than the sum of their three years of play. But he was here.

He was the Aggies’ player representative for the last media availability before the break, and now they are losing one of the key members of “next year’s” squad.

It’s likely that Thomas’ exit is just one more piece in the incredibly intricate system that governs collegiate football. He might not have liked Maroon. At his next stop, he might have some big brand deals in store for him.

Or perhaps, under Elko, he wasn’t the star the Aggies needed.

Given that Thomas is among the top 10 receivers in school history, there probably won’t be any contempt for program supporters, but it will hurt. Similar to Elko’s direct approach when he confronted his team during the season’s last game to inform them that they weren’t performing up to standard.

“That’s ultimately my responsibility,” Elko stated. “We are fundamentally not good enough.”

In that regard, the Aggies suffer with Thomas. Although the junior was a dependable weapon for Marcel Reed, it appears that he has little interest in the Aggies’ next move. Fortunately, they have choices.

The Aggies will lose their stars year after year. As they use the transfer portal to strengthen their squad and cover the voids caused by departing players, they will appear different. Thomas serves as a sobering reminder that no player is completely impervious to criticism.

Although Texas A&M still has a long way to go—more in terms of football than culture—Elko’s first year is over, and the Aggies who remain will be his new legacy. They now proceed with the intention of improving their football skills.

And with a fresh basis for success, they may rest comfortable. Thomas or not.

“We are now where we need to be from a culture standpoint,” Elko stated. “We must now develop into a strong football program. The next step is that.