Texas A&M HC Elko isn’t giving up on QB Weigman just yet

It was a tough start to the 2024 season for Texas A&M QB Conner Weigman. So tough, in fact, that there could have been reason to think about going with his backup, Jaylen Henderson, for Week 2’s matchup against McNeese State.

Texas A&M’s offense had no juice in its 23-13 loss to No. 7 Notre Dame at home, and a big part of that was Weigman’s ability to get the passing game going. He completed just 12-of-30 passes with no touchdowns and two interceptions while throwing for 100 yards.

Yes, Notre Dame’s defense is championship-worthy, but that’s a bad outing no matter how you slice it. Still, heading into McNeese State, head coach Mike Elko revealed he had no intention of moving on from Weigman after one bad game.

First of all, this was a competition for the starting job that Weigman earned.

There’s always this thought that you just move on. We’ve evaluated the quarterback competition, which is exactly where this one’s headed, we’ve evaluated about 1,000 quarterback reps since I got hired and it was a competition, and Conner did win it,” Elko said on “The Aggie Football Hour” (h/t On3).

Elko clearly believes there’s wisdom in letting Weigman work through things, and it’s worth noting that Week 2 should present him with the chance for a ‘get right” game. 

It also seems that Elko doesn’t want to set up the type of culture that would lead players to believe that one bad moment can’t be redeemed. That’s a wise way to build trust amongst his players in his first season in College Station.

“I don’t know that it’s in anybody’s best interest to just pull the plug on a kid the second things aren’t going well. I just don’t know that that’s human nature,” Elko said. “I don’t know that anybody wants to get fired on their job the first time it doesn’t go exactly how they hoped it would, who doesn’t get a second day? We’re dealing with 18- to 21-year-olds. You do the best you can.”

Elko has to walk the fine line between giving players time to grow and building a culture of high expectations and winning, but that’s why he gets paid $7M a year by Texas A&M. 

Let’s see if he can do it.