Mike Elko prefers not to look over his shoulder. At SEC Media Days on Thursday, the new Texas A&M coach was asked to retrace a few steps in his journey to the Aggies.Elko was hired to replace Jimbo Fisher, returning to College Station where he was the defensive coordinator from 2018-21. Elko was 16-9 in two seasons at Duke.Fisher first brought Elko to College Station on his original coaching staff after the 2017 season and he was a semifinalist for the Frank Broyles Award given to the nation’s top assistant coach in 2021. He then earned ACC Coach of the Year honors in leading Duke to a 9-4 season in 2022.During his four-year stint as Fisher’s defensive coordinator, Elko and the Aggies never played Texas. This year, the rivalry is back with the Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners breaking into the SEC ranks.”That’s a rivalry that means an awful lot to our fan base, to the program, the history of the rivalry, and the tradition,” Elko said. “I have been aware of it. I was a huge football fan growing up. I watched those games on Thanksgiving. And the defense and the wrecking crew and all of that. I think it’s great for the state, great for college football that that rivalry is coming back. When you have two brands like that that are that close to each other, they should play. They should play meaningful games. They should play games that really matter. And with our tradition, they should play on Thanksgiving weekend.”