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Well done and well said. One of the best TA post I have ever read.

Quote:

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The equation is:
"Trust equals the Inverse of Risk x Credibility x Rapport." Trust = 1/Risk x Credibility x Rapport.

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I read this is Gary Busey's voice.

Anybody got the short version of all that

Mike Elko is trusted because he minimizes risk for players, tells the truth, and develops talentkey elements of a trust equation built on low risk, credibility, and rapport. In contrast to past coaches whose broken promises hurt players and the program, Elko's honesty, culture alignment, and proven results have restored trust and made Texas A&M a destination for NFLbound athletes.
-Copilot

I trust Elko! Having a very hard time trusting Reed

Don't really care if he has any of that as long as he can win a championship. Any championship. Something.

Ya I ain't reading all that

Congratulations though

Or sorry that happened to you

I'm gonna need $50 to read that wall

This is bad. Dont do this again.

TLDR, but your equation will live in inphamy.

Trust = 1/Risk x Credibility x Rapport.

8 wins in year 1

11 wins in year 2

it's really that simple

If you're not going to read what the man took the time to write then don't comment on it.

Jimmy Larson said:

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The equation is:
"Trust equals the Inverse of Risk x Credibility x Rapport." Trust = 1/Risk x Credibility x Rapport.

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Multiplying and dividing words by other words. Strange.

Does Elko get credit for NFL ready guys like Howell and Scourton who come here, play one year and then get drafted? Is that development? Because there are and will be a lot of those guys..

I enjoyed that read.. thanks for posting… makes sense !

Jimmy Larson said:

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Let me preface why I trust Mike Elko by saying, I am amazed by how good TexAgs premium is. I received it as a Christmas gift, and it has replaced every other sports podcast/ news source that I have followed for years. Why I trust Mike can be explained with an equation that was shared with me 40+ years ago.

The equation is:
"Trust equals the Inverse of Risk x Credibility x Rapport." Trust = 1/Risk x Credibility x Rapport.

Here is how the equation was explained to me. "To maximize Trust, your first job is to minimize the Risk involved for the person making the decision." Reducing Risk makes it easier to increase Trust. Because Risk is expressed as a fraction with Risk as the denominator, the greater the Risk, the smaller the number, and consequently, the lower the Trust. 1/100 is riskier than 1/10 which is riskier than 1/1.

The next two variables are easy to explain. Credibility means: if you want to be Trusted, always tell the truth. Lying destroys Trust. And, since this is a multiplier equation, a zero in any position produces Zero Trust. Credibility is the most common place to "zero out" Trust. Lying to someone always makes Trust = 0, Once someone figures out they have been lied to, they will not Trust that person ever again. So, in a business, on a football team, or among families of recruits, people talk and Trust is lost immediately by losing credibility.
Rapport is easy: Do they like you? You can Trust people you don't like, but it's easier to Trust those you do like. This variable is how most people establish friendships and historically, much recruiting is based on Rapport. But liking someone is only a fraction of Trusting them.

The Trust equation can be utilized in all human interactions. The Risk needs to be viewed from the perspective of the decision maker. Elko chose to return to A&M because he Trusted the opportunity. He had been here and personally experienced the values and culture of Texas A&M. Similarly, world class athletes choose their university based on their chance to advance their careers, either in professional athletics or other professional pursuits. A&M has always been unique due to the strength of the Aggie Network. Aggies are true to each other as Aggies can be.

IMO, after R.C. retired, Texas A&M football entered the wilderness. Before Elko took over, Texas A&M football was a place where NFL potential came to die. If Adrian Peterson had signed here in 2004 and played under Coach Fran, his talent would likely have been squandered and today, he would be driving a bus in Palestine instead of awaiting selection to the NFL HOF. Developing talent is the holy grail of college athletics, and before Elko, player development was a High Risk for an athlete signing with our university. Since 2000, A&M has had 84 players drafted by the NFL. Tu has had 104 and Ohio State has had 182 drafted. How does this history relate to Elko? In his first 2 years as head coach, Mike will have had between 9 13 players drafted by the NFL. By contrast, since 2000, only twice have had 9 players drafted in a head coach's first 2 seasons (Sumlin & Fisher). From DC to HC, we have seen that Coach Elko is a "borderline" savant as it relates to defenses. We have seen Elko manage HS recruiting and working the portal with a strategic understanding of the talent we need to build a consistent winner. Player development is clearly paramount with Mike.
Here is what Sports Illustrated recently said about Elko. "He was ahead of the curve with a model that takes advantage of the transfer portal, and he continues to be ahead by acquiring surplus of important positions." This observation by SI supports the results we have seen on the field: outstanding defense, improving offense, and a trusted leader of men. We have all heard players describe Elko as a "straight shooter" who tells players the truth. This seems like a simple thing, but it is a fact that some coaches have no honor as it relates to telling players the truth. Credibility is a valuable and non-negotiable asset for success in life, in athletics, and as the head coach of Texas A&M football. Honor & Credibility have been defining characteristics of Texas A&M since its founding, and now these are being ingrained into our football culture. Football wins are downstream from culture (to borrow a concept from Andrew Britebart). In the 23 years from 2000-2023, our Aggies averaged 7.3 Ws/ season. In the first 2 years of Mike Elko, we averaged 9.5 Ws/season. Our culture and our wins are being aligned by Mike Elko.
The following story is told with the permission of Rickey McNeal, one of my best friends and an Aggie Dad of exceptional character. After Reggie's Junior year, the McNeals had been approached by a most prominent sports agents to discuss Reggie foregoing his Senior season to enter the NFL draft early. The McNeals and this agent met at a private residence in College Station. The agent let them know that he was confident that he could secure an 8-figure contract for Reggie if he came out early. Rickey shared this conversation with Coach Fran who told Rickey that he recommended Reggie come back for his senior season, and that he (Fran) was going to build a pro-style, passing offense to showcase Reggie's skill sets and he (Fran) told Rickey that he believed Reggie would be able to sign a contract worth twice what the agent had told him to expect if Reggie came out after his Junior year. After talking with Coach Fran, Rickey told me "Jimmy, we're coming back!" And he communicated all the above details to me. Rickey told me that this decision was based on Fran's commitment to "featuring" Reggie's abilities in an offense that would highlight his NFL skills. Fast forward to Reggie's Senior season and the pro-style offense never appeared as we ran more QB run/option plays than pro-style passing. Reggie's skills were never developed nor showcased as promised. For all of us who saw Reggie lead us back against OU in his Freshman year, we knew that his talent was exceptional, but was never optimized for our team nor for his career. Coach Fran's Credibility dropped to zero, and I guarantee that other East Texas athletes learned of this multi-million dollar lie. The Risk of believing Fran: High. Fran's Credibility: Zero. Rapport: Zero (It's hard to like a liar). Trust in Coach Fran = 0 [1/1,000 x 0 x 0]. Recruiting damage to A&M football in East Texas? Almost certain. Ask RC what he thinks of how Reggie McNeal was treated. He knows.
In closing, we should always pull for our athletes when they are wearing Maroon and White, and even when they transfer via the portal and wear other colors. They chose A&M first, and tried to play here, but things did not work out as they had hoped. These athletes only have this one chance to maximize their collegiate career, and to hopefully make the NFL. It is our responsibility to develop them, which even includes helping them transfer if they find they are unable to get playing time at A&M. Coach Elko will talk honestly to players to help them maximize the opportunity that they have before them: here or elsewhere. We need to get used to losing good players via the portal because we are starting to stack talent on top of talent and only the most talented players will get regular playing time. Elko and A&M are becoming a desirable destination for future NFL potential. The 12th Man, the Aggie Network, Aggies United, & Aggie NIL make A&M an attractive destination for young athletes.
After two decades in the wilderness, we now have a coach whose values align with those that define A&M, are kept by our Corps of Cadets, and whose initials adorn our second campus west of College Station. Mike Elko is the honest coach and leader our players want & need, and for the foreseeable future, players will want to come here to be developed, to play for the 12th Man in the SEC, and to be told the truth about what is best for them and their future.
When I spoke to Rickey to get his permission to tell this story, he told me what I knew was true. He said "Jimmy, I have never been able to hold a grudge, and I still love Texas A&M." Rickey is back to selling cars in NW Houston. If you need a car, buy it from Rickey. . . he deserves the support. His cell # is: 936-635-3782. Gig 'em Aggies!
Jimmy Larson

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Thumbs up emoji

Back to back wins over LSU, including a night game in Death Valley.

Bro couldn't handle the zoo and had to take it premium

Angry Jonathan Zaludek said:

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Back to back wins over LSU, including a night game in Death Valley.

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Back to back losses to sips.

Mike Elko has reshaped Texas A&M's culture by emphasizing physicality, accountability, smarter recruiting, and consistent effort. Elko's staff targets fit, development, and long-term roster balance instead of chasing stars and headlines. The players stay engaged because the culture emphasizes competition, clarity, and role definition. Elko has established road toughness and clarity. He is 6-3 (5-3 SEC) in true road games. Before Elko arrived, we had lost 10 (9 SEC) consecutive road games, and that losing streak stretched from the last 2 SEC games against Ole Miss and LSU in 2021 through the 2023 season. We snapped a few other road losing streaks this past season:

1. Snapped a 7-game losing streak in November Road games with a 38-17 win at Missouri on 11/8/2025, our first November or later road win since a 34-13 win at Tennessee on 12/19/2020. Our previous November road win before 2020 was a 31-24 win at Ole Miss on 11/18/2017.

2. Snapped a 7-game road losing streak to Power 5 nonconference teams with a 41-40 win at Notre Dame on 9/13/2025, our first road win over a Power 5 nonconference team since a 14-12 win at Pittsburgh on 9/7/2002

3. Snapped a 6-game road losing streak to LSU with a 49-24 win on 10/25/2025, our first win in Baton Rouge since an 18-13 road win on 9/3/1994

He actually wrote that RC retired? Haha. Yeah, because thats how it went down.

I trust Elko because he has a large belly that reminds me of Santa Claus, and who doesn't trust Santa Claus

Gunny456 said:

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If you're not going to read what the man took the time to write then don't comment on it.

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It's a rando posting on a fansite. It's not Jesus himself coming down to hear your confessions.

And the only reason you like it is because it says things you want to believe. Nothin the OP said is supported by anything in real research. 1) psychological risk is not measured quantitatively. OP gives some random numbers to sound mathy, but he offers no explanation of how 1 is different 10 or even how a fan is exposed to what risk from a coach. 2) trust is a dyad relationship that is path dependent. It is not mathematical. Some very smart paychologists have attempted to do some Markov-like probabilities for trust, but it cannot be done like that. 3) OP offers no measurement of credibility or rapport (also cannot be measured linearly anyway). Or why a fan is concerned about those. Categorical variables, or those made into interval variables through Likert-style rankings, cannot be used as continuous measurement data

OP is like a Tom Clancy or Dan Brown novel. Sounds just science-y enough to be plausible, but it's really just fan longing in math cosplay. If you want to "trust" Mike Elko for whatever reason you need to trust him… great. But it's not measurable, and posting a ridiculous equation of words on the interwebs isn't exactly worthy of worship

As you said it's a random post on a fan site.
And I have no idea how your diatribe has any relevance to my post at all.
Carry on.

Gunny456 said:

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If you're not going to read what the man took the time to write then don't comment on it.

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MROD92 said:

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That's it,
I'm purchasing Premium

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This comment has taken on more meaning since the OP's edit.