Texas
Aggies’ Training Camp: What to Watch For As Texas A&M Prepares For 1st Season Under Mike Elko
Looking to turn things around this season, the Texas A&M Aggies have the first big hurdle coming up.
Exactly one month prior to kickoff against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Mike Elko and company will suit up for training camp. Hitting the field for the first time of the season will give them the chance to iron out the kinks in their game plan and begin to build chemistry, which will certainly be important to finding success in the new-look SEC.
From a returning quarterback to new coordinators and everything in between, Texas A&M has some work to do before it’ll be ready to kickoff in the fall. If all goes well, the Aggies could see the revival they’ve been hoping for since firing Jimbo Fisher.
But that’s contingent on training camp.
Here are a few things to watch for as Elko’s squad gears up for the year:
Conner Weigman’s 1st Full Season
Standout quarterback Conner Weigman is entering this third season within the Aggies’ program, but he’s played less than one season’s worth of games.
Taking over the starting position late in the season during his freshman year and only getting four games before breaking his foot in his sophomore year has prevented Weigman from truly becoming the quarterback that Texas A&M had hoped he would be. This season, however, that’s set to change.
“He’s healthy now,” Elko said, dispelling any lingering worries of his quarterback’s health. “You’re starting to see that energy. You’re starting to see him really come into himself and, obviously, it’s going to be really important for us to get good at quarterback play this fall.”
Naturally, Weigman will be quintessential to the Aggies’ overall performance next season. In the four games he did start in 2023, he reached nearly 1,000 yards and threw eight touchdowns on a completion percentage near 70.
His talent is unquestionable. The real concern will be whether or not he’ll be able to stay on the field throughout the year.
If a perfect world did exist and Weigman played all 12 games of the regular season the way he did the first four, he would have finished second overall in passing yards and passing touchdowns in the SEC.
Next season’s success can’t be based on hypothetical numbers, but it does say something about the kind of potential Weigman brings to the Aggies. If he can stay healthy, Texas A&M will already be in a much better position than it was one season ago.
Weigman just has to go prove it.
A Scrappy Offensive Line, Among Other Things
Protecting Weigman up front will be a group made up of four returners.
At center will Mark Nabou Jr., joined by Chase Bisontis, Reuben Fatheree II and newcomer Ar’maj Reed-Adams. Leading them is Trey Zuhn III — one of the Aggies’ offensive captains — who will also play a large role in keeping the offense fluid throughout the year.
That was something that Elko preached heavily.
“Our ability to get really talented and really good on the offensive line, as quick as we possibly can, will play a huge role in our ability to be successful on offense,” Elko explained. ”I do know that they will be a much scrappier, much grittier, much tougher group as we move into the fall.”
With Le’Veon Moss, Amari Daniels and Rueben Owens returning in the backfield next season, that line up front will have a large responsibility. None of Owens, Daniels and Moss had a true breakout season last year, but with a much stronger passing game, that’s sure to change.
While Weigman opens up the field as a passing threat, the trio of backs for Texas A&M can make its offense a big threat for opposing defenses. And at the forefront of it all?
Zuhn III and his scrappy offensive line.
“We’ve put in a ton of work,” the captain said. “Just having that much experience on the offensive line now, it’s going to be huge. We’ve been able to gel together these past couple of months, working hard, competing against each other in the weight room and on the field.”
Klein & Bateman: 2 New Coordinators
Elko isn’t the only new face on the Aggies’ coaching staff.
After being hired in late November, it didn’t take long for the coach to add new offensive and defensive coordinators. With Bobby Petrino now back with his Arkansas Razorbacks and D.J. Durkin set to assume the same role with the Auburn Tigers, Texas A&M was in need of new leadership.
The result? Collin Klein on offense and Jay Bateman on defense.
After spending ample time with the Kansas State Wildcats, Klein brings with him experience and an easy-to-work-with personality that ultimately drew Elko to hiring him to head of the Aggies’ offense in its quest to build upon previous seasons instead of starting from scratch.
“Collin brings an innovative mind,” Elko said of his new offensive coordinator. “I think the thing that really drew me to Collin was his knowledge of the game of football, his intelligence level and understanding how to attack defenses.”
As for Bateman, he’s been around the SEC — most recently with Billy Napier in Florida — and knows what it takes to compete in arguably the toughest conference in college football. Texas A&M has a history with a strong defensive unit, so the pressure is certainly on for him as well.
Since Elko and his staff have arrived in College Station, the change in culture has been made clear by the program. Players are “where they’re supposed to be” and are “more receptive” to leadership as it comes from multiple fronts.
Obviously, there is more to be done before that culture shift can impact the result on the field, but the Aggies are in a good place. After all, two new coordinators and a much better attitude?
On paper, it sounds like a recipe for success.
Texas
Texas man accused of killing pregnant wife allegedly cuts off ankle monitor and flees to Italy
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A Texas man facing charges for allegedly killing his pregnant wife has reportedly cut off his ankle monitor and fled abroad.
Lee Mongerson Gilley, 39, is accused of murdering his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, and the couple’s unborn child in Houston in 2024, according to KPRC.
Gilley was set to appear in court Tuesday, but instead flew from Texas to Canada, and finally Italy, where he told authorities he was seeking asylum after being “wrongfully prosecuted” and is fearful of receiving the death penalty, his attorney told the outlet.
“I’m concerned that the prosecution will try to say that it’s evidence of consciousness of guilt that he’s running from it, but I think he’s just scared,” defense attorney Dick DeGuerin reportedly said.
NAVY RESERVIST ON ACTIVE DUTY ACCUSED OF MURDERING WIFE BELIEVED TO HAVE FLED TO HONG KONG
Lee Mongerson Gilley, 39, is accused of murdering his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, and their unborn child in Houston in 2024, according to KPRC. (Christa Bauer Gilley/Facebook)
Gilley, whose murder trial was set to begin later this month, is reportedly in the custody of Italian authorities. His ankle monitor alerted authorities it had been tampered with on Friday, according to the outlet.
DeGuerin told the outlet that before Gilley can be returned to Texas, the state must certify to Italy that he is not eligible for the death penalty — which the prosecution is not seeking in his case.
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Gilley is accused of killing his wife, Christa, and their unborn baby by “applying pressure to [her] neck and upper back” on Oct. 7, 2024, according to charging documents obtained by People.
HUSBAND CHARGED IN PREGNANT PHYSICAL THERAPIST WIFE’S MURDER AFTER GIVING POLICE A DIFFERENT STORY
Defense attorney Ed McClees and his client, Lee Mongerson Gilley, appear in the 497th District Court at the Harris County Justice Center in Houston on Oct. 17, 2024. Gilley is charged with capital murder in the death of his wife, Christa Gilley. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Prosecutors reportedly allege Gilley initially claimed Christa, who was nine months pregnant, had overdosed and that he had tried to save her with CPR, but a medical examiner later pointed to evidence of strangulation and ruled her death a homicide.
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After he was arrested days later, Gilley allegedly admitted his wife was not a drug user or suicidal, and that the couple had been arguing before her death, KPRC reported.
In 2025, while out on bond, prosecutors reportedly allege Gilley and an unnamed woman, whom he had an affair with in 2023, devised a scheme to flee to Mexico and other countries, according to the outlet.
MISSING FATHER OF 3 MAY HAVE FAKED HIS OWN DEATH AND FLED TO ‘SOMEPLACE IN EUROPE’: OFFICIALS
Prosecutors allege Lee Mongerson Gilley killed his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, who was nine months pregnant, in Houston in 2024. (Christa Bauer Gilley/Facebook)
“The Defendant also inquired as to whether she knew of a Mexican identity he could acquire to facilitate his departure from the country,” the document said.
Gilley also allegedly “provided a detailed plan” to remove his GPS monitor and perform a sham marriage to obtain a new identity, prosecutors reportedly said.
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Authorities are working to extradite Gilley back to the country, according to KPRC.
Gilley’s defense attorney and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) announced on Monday that Texas baseball pitcher Dylan Volantis will share this week’s Pitcher of the Week award with LSU’s Zac Cowan. From Texas Athletics’ announcement:
“Against No. 10 Mississippi State, Volantis registered a co-career-best 12 strikeouts and scattered three singles across six scoreless innings. After the Bulldogs notched a two-out infield hit in the first, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound left-hander retired 10 of the next 11 batters he faced. Volantis capped off that stretch by punching out the side on only 10 pitches in the fourth. Overall, the Thousand Oaks, Calif., native threw 107 pitches, which marked the most by a Longhorn this year. In Texas’ 3-1 victory, the Longhorns totaled 19 strikeouts, tying their most in a nine-inning game in program history.“
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NEWS ACROSS LONGHORN NATION AND BEYOND
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What a ride it’s been for these seniors.
Texas
‘Muslim only’ event at taxpayer-funded Texas waterpark gets major splash back: ‘Should we expect a Christians only day?’
A taxpayer-funded Texas waterpark is getting splash-back for a “Muslims only” event next month after a local Islamic group rented out the facility.
A flier for the DFW Epic Eid event on June 1 noted three times that attendance was strictly for Muslims — and modest swimsuits are required.
“Seems like a civil rights violation,” one outraged commenter said.
“Should we expect a ‘Christians Only’ day?” another commenter asked.
Radio host Dana Loesch asked, “How is a taxpayer-funded, city-owned entity allowed to discriminate against non-Muslims at a public water park?”
After the backlash, the organizer of the event, Aminah Knight, told The Post that she is backtracking on how she is advertising it — “to make it clearer that this is a modest dress-only event centered around celebrating Eid.”
The third-annual event is being held at Epic Waters in Grand Prairie, outside Dallas, a massive, 80,000-square-feet indoor waterpark opened in 2017 at a cost of $88 million.
The park was funded by a 0.25% sales tax residents approved at the ballot box in 2014.
The FAQ for the event says “the entire waterpark has been exclusively reserved for Muslims.”
Although the event website says men and women will not be separated during the event, it notes “we ask all attendees to uphold Islamic etiquette just as they do in other mixed gender spaces,” and encourages all visitors to follow a “modest” dress code and lower their gaze around members of the opposite sex “to help preserve a spiritually mindful and welcoming atmosphere for all.”
The website offers suggestions, including an entire “what to wear” section of the site, complete with purchase links for modesty-approved swimwear for women, girls, boys and toddlers.
Event tickets are being advertised for $55 a pop, or $65 with food included, all of which will be certified halal, according to the flyer.
Also advertised is a private prayer room, which will be available between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. on the night of the celebration.
A new flier for the event — released on Monday — removed the worlds “Muslim only” and replaced it with “modest dress only” and added the line “come and celebrate Eid with us, all are welcome!”
Knight told The Post that she did not mean to exclude non-Muslims in organizing the event.
“The core intention behind this event is to create a space where individuals and families who value modest dress and a modest environment can come together and feel comfortable enjoying a recreational space that often doesn’t naturally accommodate those preferences,” she said.
“While the event is rooted in celebrating Eid within the Muslim community, the guiding principle for attendance is the modest dress code.
“Guests are expected to follow that guideline; such as burkinis for women and swim trunks with shirts for men.”
Knight said the park regularly rents out the space for private events, and that this event is no different.
A spokesperson for the water park said the event is “not hosted or organized” by Epic Waters, and that it makes its space available for rent to a variety of groups, including faith-based orgs like DFW Epic Eid.
“These groups regularly book our venue for birthday parties, celebrations, youth events, corporate programming, and other activities, including full-park buyouts for large-scale private or ticketed events. As with all rentals, the hosting entity, not the waterpark, determines the event’s programming,” the spokesperson said.
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