Mike Elko will return to Texas A&M as defensive coordinator, following his successful tenure at Duke, according to sources.
One day after a reported deal between Texas A&M with Kentucky coach Mark Stoops fell through, sources tell CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd that the former Aggies defensive coach has come out as the leading choice.
Elko met a few Duke players on Sunday to talk about the transfer, and a declaration is anticipated in the coming day or two, according to ESPN.
Mike Elko of Duke is expected to become Texas A&M’s next sports coach, according to a number of publications.
Elko, 46, had a very successful tenure for the Aggies as the defensive coordinator under previous coach Jimbo Fisher, and he soon won the affection of the Texas A&M supporters.
Having served as a member of Fisher’s first staff at Wake Forest then Notre Dame, he moved to Texas A&M in 2018.
The Aggies defense, particularly against the run, was one of the finest in the nation while he was in charge.
Texas A&M finished 34-14 under his direction as defensive coordinator, highlighted by a 9-1 Orange Bowl season in 2020.
The Aggies also started their recruiting campaign at the highest level possible, particularly in terms of securing outstanding prospects for the defensive end of the field.
In 2022, the veteran defensive coordinator took a position at Duke. Elko guided the Blue Devils to their best record since 2014—a 9-4 season—in his debut season.
In 2023, he managed to post a 7-5 record in spite of significant problems at the quarterback position.
The Aggies’ record the following two seasons was merely 12-12 after Elko left Texas A&M. Ten games in his sixth season, the university dismissed Fisher earlier this month.
Now, as the league is ready to welcome Texas and Oklahoma for the 2024 season, Elko has to lead Texas A&M back into SEC contention.
Elijah Robinson, the Texas A&M temporary coach who Elko hired instead of Baylor as part of the Aggies’ inaugural defensive staff, is anticipated to stay on Elko’s staff.
A number of players have openly voiced their support for Robinson being hired on a full-time basis.
In place of Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M is negotiating to hire Mike Elko, the Duke coach, who was Jimbo Fisher’s defensive coordinator during four years at College Station.
This was revealed to The Associated Press on Sunday by a person with knowledge of the negotiations.
Elko had become the school’s primary target, according to an unidentified person who spoke to the AP, but an agreement hadn’t yet been signed.
The initial news of Texas A&M expecting to appoint Elko as head coach came from the Houston Chronicle.
Elko had told Duke about his discussions with Texas A&M, according to a another source with an understanding of the matter that spoke with the AP on Sunday night.
This individual likewise spoke under oblique anonymity because Duke hasn’t made any public comments about the situation.
After the 2021 season, Elko departed the Aggies to accept his first heads coaching position at Duke, where he finished 15-8 in his first two seasons. In the three years prior, the Blue Devils had only managed to win 10 games overall.
Following the chaotic conclusion of Saturday night due to the disastrous hiring of Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops, Texas A&M’s search for a new head football coach following Jimbo Fisher’s firing has finally come to an end.
Multiple sources indicate that Mike Elko, the former defensive coordinator and head coach of Duke, has been named as Fisher’s immediate successor.