Everything Texas A&M coordinators said ahead of spring practice
· Yahoo Sports
The road to the 2026 College Football Playoff begins now in College Station, as Texas A&M kicks off spring football following one of the most pivotal seasons in program history.
The Aggies are coming off their first double‑digit win campaign in nearly a decade and the program’s first-ever CFP appearance. Players and staff point to the culture shift under head coach Mike Elko and the transformed mentality in the weight room, led by Director of Football Strength & Conditioning Tommy Moffitt, as the foundation of that breakthrough.
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That work continues in the offseason. Spring ball remains the crucible where development, competition, and system installation take center stage. This year’s camp carries added significance with new offensive and defensive coordinators—both internal promotions—tasked with putting their stamp on their respective units while maintaining the identity Elko has built.
New offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins and defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill met with reporters this week, each outlining what the opportunity means and how they plan to elevate their units heading into Year 3 of the Mike Elko era. Wiggins emphasized building on the cultural and developmental foundation established last season, while Hemphill spoke to maintaining the defensive identity that powered A&M’s breakthrough campaign and needing to improve in the takeaway category.
Both coaches framed spring ball as the launching point for system installation, competition, and sharpening the standard that carried the Aggies to their first College Football Playoff appearance.
Texas A&M Defensive Coordinator Lyle Hemphill on the opportunity
"It's a good honor. Growing up, in the 80s and 90s, this was the defense. That's the vision I had."
"It's really an amazing experience. In terms of what I can bring, I try to bring a little bit more enthusiasm to the defense and a bit of a fundamental change. Increase the fundamentals. Get better at the fundamentals."
DC Lyle Hemphill on working with Mike Elko
"Overall, the good thing is we have the overall type of philosophy when it comes to the defense, so that allows it to work pretty well."
"The one thing to understand is that we both look at things big-picture defensively the same way. We look at things outside-in, which is a little different." "All conversations are welcomed in that room, and we have some good ones."
DC Lyle Hemphill on his time as Texas A&M
"These kids are great kids. They love football. They just want to play ball. ... I love it here. I love working with the kids. Every day they come in like, 'Get me better.' That's the thought process from those guys, so how can you not love coming to work?"
DC Lyle Hemphill on who will call the plays in 2026
"Mike (Elko) calls the defense. How that works out this year, we'll see. The way we gameplan, we'll come up with a call sheet, and the calls are made before the game, pretty much." "From the ground up, it's his defense."
DC Lyle Hemphill on increasing interceptions and how the scheme can play a role in that
"We need to work on that. That's a fundamental. We need to get better at catching the ball. That's obvious. We will work at it, and we will practice it. We have to catch more footballs. We can't drop the ones that are thrown to us."
"We play a lot of man, and when you play a lot of man, there are some give-and-takes there. There are things we've got to schematically figure out, and there are other ways to turn the ball over other than interceptions. We need to force more fumbles, too."
Texas A&M Offensive Coordinator Holmon Wiggins on his coaching style
"I've had the luxury of working hand-in-glove with some really good playcallers... We're looking to build on what we've done really well. I'm a kid from South Central Los Angeles, so I coach with an edge and want us to play with an edge."
OC Holman Wiggins on the offensive staff
"There is a wealth of knowledge in there... I've got a bandwidth of knowledge in that room." "The support has been there... I'm excited about getting this thing started and excited about the direction we're going."
OC Holman Wiggins on his promotion
"It means a lot. I'm fortunate and blessed to be in this position. I don't take it lightly. I'm excited to hit the ground running."
OC Holman Wiggins on the benefit of not being tied to one position
"I've had the luxury of being able to bounce from room to room. There is a huge benefit to myself to seeing all of those moving parts instead of being bogged down by one position."
OC Holman Wiggins on Devin Price (Terry Price's son) joining the staff
"He's awesome. I know he had a prior relationship with Coach Elko, and there is no doubt that the Price name in the coaching background goes a long way. He's the guy that's closer in age to some of our players, so we can use that as a sounding board on some of these ideas and how he would take it as a player."
OC Holman Wiggins on his system being focused on Marcel Reed
"When you think about anything that you do, especially from a schematic standpoint, it's about what we feel our guys do well. Everything will be centered around the quarterback. Marcel has done an unbelievable job of trying to get better and take the next step in his development... We're going to get a chance to move the pocket a little bit."
OC Holman Wiggins is connected with the players
"You never lose sight of the relationships because it's all about the people. That has always been one of my biggest things. My background is in psychology. There are a lot of things these guys are going through on a daily basis... I'm trying to love on those guys twice as hard as we coach them."
OC Holman Wiggins on what personnel sets he plans to highlight
"At the end of the day, we're trying to win, so we always talk about scratching where it itches. We have the staff to make really good in-game adjustments... It will be a mixed bag of what we want from a personnel standpoint."
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M coaches Wiggins & Hemphill speak ahead of spring practice