Texas A&M's Elko: Video game releases can have big impact on teams

The upcoming release of EA Sports College Football 25 could present a new set of challenges for Mike Elko in his first season as head coach at Texas A&M.

When asked Thursday if there's any excitement at Texas A&M for the new video game, Elko recalled having to hold meetings with players in the past over their late-night gaming.

"In full disclosure, because I've been a part of this before, you can't imagine how much the release of a hot new video game can impact your football team," Elko said, according to Travis Brown of the Bryan-College Station Eagle.

"I remember going all the way back to when the second Call of Duty came out and it got released in October in the middle of one of our football seasons. We literally were having meetings with our defense about why it was not good to stay up until four in the morning playing Call of Duty. We had practice at 7 o'clock the next morning."

College Football 25 is set to release July 16, a little over six weeks before Texas A&M opens the 2024 college football season against Notre Dame.

Elko was hired by Texas A&M in November after spending the past two seasons at Duke, where he posted a 16-9 record. The 46-year-old served as defensive coordinator for the Aggies from 2018-21 under former head coach Jimbo Fisher.