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Report: Texas A&M Set to Hire Duke HC Mike Elko

Report: Texas A&M Set to Hire Duke HC Mike Elko
Report: Texas A&M Set to Hire Duke HC Mike Elko

After a dramatic 24 hours in College Station, it appears that the Aggies will go to another college basketball blue blood to find their new coach. This time, they will visit Durham and hire away a former friend Mike Elko, according to reports. Pete Thamel of ESPN reports that the program and coach are in discussion about the role

Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle reported that the former A&M defensive coordinator is the choice

There are reports that Elko has called for a meeting with his Duke athletes to inform them of his departure.

Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic reports that the deal is expected to happen in short order

Elko was a much-discussed candidate for the head coaching role. He served as the defensive coordinator under Fisher for three seasons before earning a promotion to Duke in 2022. The Blue Devils coach was part of a shortlist of coaches rumored to be contacted like Mark Stoops and Jedd Fisch.

After a fun time period of everyone’s favorite activity this time of year: tracking flights out of locales with college football in it, it appears that Elko is a done deal, according to Zwereneman

Who is Mike Elko?

Elko is a native son of New Jersey who played defensive back for the prestigious Ivy League school, Penn. He has spent the majority of his coaching tenure on the East Coast at programs like Penn, Fordham, Hofstra, and Wake Forest. He is part of the Dave Clawson coaching tree. Clawson has carved out a nice career coaching mid-major caliber schools. It was a long and steady climb for Elko to the top of the food chain as it took him 18 seasons to get there.

As a defensive coordinator

Since the 2012 season, Elko’s defenses have ranked no lower than 46th in total defense, spanning a total of ten seasons. Of those ten seasons, eight were good enough to measure as top 40 stop units. Four of those eight defenses were ranked in the top 20.

While at Wake Forest, he helped mold players like Jessie Bates, Duke Ejiofor, and Marquel Lee into draft selections. Bates is still in the league, playing for the Atlanta Falcons after a successful tenure with the Bengals.

At every stop needing his services, massive jumps in most defensive categories occur, many of them by as much as 20+ places. He was at Notre Dame for the 2017 season, serving on Brian Kelly’s staff. He oversaw a unit that had the likes of future pros such as Julian Love, Jerry Tillery, Drue Tranquill, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and Alohi Gilman.

At Texas A&M, he led the Aggies’ defense for four seasons that resulted in four straight trips to bowl games. Players who turned into draft selections under his watch include Kingsley Keke, DeMarvin Leal, Daylon Mack, Justin Madubuike, Donovan Wilson, and Antonio Johnson. In total defense, his unit never went below 34th during his time in College Station. In two of the four seasons, his defense was second in rush defense.

As a head coach

Elko was hired to his former role as head coach of the Blue Devils prior to the 2022 season. He earned his ACC Coach of the Year honors with a rare nine-win season in 2022. The defense was top 25 nationally in scoring defense, exploded from 130th to 67th in total defense, and led the country in recovered fumbles. Just how rare is a nine-win campaign in school history? The feat has been repeated only four times. Three of which came in the interwar years and the Great Depression.

He finishes his Blue Devils career with a record of 16-9 overall and 9-7 in ACC play. During his brief run at Duke, Shaka Heyward was a force to be reckoned with, posting 62 tackles, four sacks, eight tackles for loss, and six passes defended.

Recruiting?

While not known as an ace recruiter, he does have some big wins to his credit like five stars Shemar Turner and Jaylon Jones at A&M. Four stars include Houston Griffith (ND), Antonio Johnson (TAM), Demani Richarson (TAM), and Leon O’Neal (TAM). Elko does have a track record in the state of Florida and Texas so that’s a major plus. With the limitless resources A&M provides, recruiting should be a cinch for him and his staff.

What would his staff look like?

It has been reported that interim head coach Elijah Robinson would be a part of the new staff by various outlets. However from the current Duke staff, perhaps OC Kevin Johns follows Elko to College Station. Running backs coach Trooper Taylor is a good recruiter as well and a likely follow. Defensive line coach Jess Simpson is another possible candidate who follows Elko.

What’s next for Duke?

The Blue Devils are awaiting their bowl fate to be decided on Selection Sunday. With a coaching change, the transfer portal is available to their players immediately. Could quarterback Riley Leonard follow? A&M has issues with injuries at the position and Max Johnson just entered the portal. Obviously, the interim must be named and a full-time hire quickly made to salvage a top-40-ranked class.

Duke’s first phone call should be to JMU’s coach, Frank Cignetti. He’s elevated the Dukes program from FCS power to FBS newcomer masterfully. Also on the list should be Troy’s Jon Sumrall. Toledo’s Jason Candle also needs to get the interview for a step up like this. Maybe Sean Lewis of Colorado fame gets a chance to rebrand after the Colorado fiasco that saw him essentially demoted.

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