The Texas A&M Aggies have bounced back from a season-opening loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to improve to 4-1 on the season and 2-0 in the SEC.
Mike Elko’s squad is also back in the AP Top 25 at No. 25 this week.
However, Saturday marks the team’s biggest test, as the 4-0 No. 9 Missouri Tigers travel to College Station for a top-25 showdown.
Speaking to the media this week, Elko had much to say about the Tigers, but much of his focus was on 2023 First Team All-SEC wide receiver Luther Burden III. Elko praised Burden and compared him to another former First Team All-SEC wide receiver and NFL All-Pro, Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers.
I think we always try to make the best comparisons we can think of, and the best one we could think of was Deebo Samuel when he was at South Carolina, and I think Luther is maybe even more of an advanced pass-catcher at this point in his career,” Elko noted via On3.
Burden’s 2023 sophomore campaign was remarkable, as he hauled in 86 receptions for 1,212 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. So far in the 2024 season, he sits at 19 receptions for 257 yards and four touchdowns.
“He’s a different kind of slot because he’s so thick. Normally when you think of slots you think of these twitchy, athletic guys, which he is. But they’re a little bit smaller in demeanor, which he is not. He’s that big, tall, physical kid. So he can do a lot of things with the ball in his hands. They try to make sure he gets enough touches every game to make sure he impacts the game,” Elko added.
Missouri and Texas A&M kick off at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN this Saturday.
[On3]
