Mike Elko gets brutally honest about Texas A&M's empty trophy case

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko has gained a ton of respect from fans in College Station during his first two years at the helm, but it's due to more than just his production on the field.

Elko has routinely been open and honest with the media, something that can often get overlooked by opposing fans that want nothing more than to criticize on-field results.

But Elko is now playing the role of the critics by being self-critical toward the Texas A&M football program in a way that should light a fire under his players while simultaneously earning respect from those that doubt the Aggies.

Mike Elko Using Texas A&M's Championship Failures as Motivation

While speaking with the media at SEC Media Days in Tampa on Wednesday, Elko got brutally honest about Texas A&M's shortcomings as a program.

When asked how he keeps his players from being satisied, Elko had the perfect response.

“I show them our trophy case, and it’s empty," Elko said.

Texas A&M football's last national championship win came in 1939. It happened so long ago, that the Aggies might as well have zero national titles to their name.

Texas fans that often point toward Texas A&M's lack of championship success no longer have the ammo they once did when the rival head coach is going out of his way to criticize his own program.

It's a genius move from Elko, but it's the truth. Texas A&M, despite wanting to be seen as a relevant program on a national scale, does not have the championship pedigree to back it up. And for as long as that remains the case, the Aggies will simply be viewed as a team that is all bark and no bite.

But it's become clear that Elko is the head coach that can change all of that. In his first two years as Texas A&M's head coach, he's had the Aggies one win away from an SEC Championship berth in back-to-back seasons.

The only thing that's stood in their way has been the Longhorns, who are 2-0 against Texas A&M since the rivalry renewed. Both games were berth-clinching matchups for the Aggies in hopes of reaching the SEC Championship for the first time in program history, but they've come up disappointingly short.

Despite that, Elko led Texas A&M to its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance last season. The 10-3 loss to the Miami Hurricanes is certainly one that Aggie fans want to forget about but reaching the CFP is a major milestone.

Now, it's about putting it all together and making a legit run at a national championship.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/tamu as Mike Elko Gets Brutally Honest About Texas A&M's Empty Trophy Case.