Duke’s head football coach, Mike Elko, is leaving Durham to become the next head coach at Texas A&M.
The 46-year-old former Aggies defensive coordinator has agreed to a deal to return to College Station, replacing Jimbo Fisher, who was fired two weeks ago after nearly six seasons at the helm.
“Coach Mike Elko is one of the best leaders and coaches in college football and has had high-level success at each stop of his career,” Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork said in an official release on the team’s website. “He is known [in] coaching circles as one of the best defensive minds in the country and has shown his ability to lead and turn around a program as a Power 5 head coach.”
Elko initially joined Texas A&M as its defensive coordinator in 2018 after previous stints as a defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, Wake Forest, and Bowling Green, among others. His defenses have ranked among the best in the country throughout his career, and his 2020 A&M defense was among the top 10.
He left Texas A&M for Duke after four seasons with the Aggies in December 2021 and took a historically lousy program to respectable heights in his two years as the Blue Devils head coach with a 16-9 record, back-to-back bowl appearances, and a bowl victory while winning the 2022 ACC Coach of the Year Award.
His quick success at Duke made him a top candidate for coaching vacancies nationwide. While it was initially reported that he would be staying at Duke, he will officially become A&M’s 30th head football coach during a welcome reception on the campus Monday afternoon.
Reports swirled across X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday that A&M had decided to hire Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops as the next leader of its football program. However, those reports were quickly debunked, and Stoops released a statement saying he was staying with Kentucky.
It is unclear where the miscommunication came from, but one A&M-focused publication reported backlash from fans may have played a part.
Hours later, the same publications began to report that the Aggies had landed on Elko as the next head coach, which the university has since officially announced.
According to CBS Sports, interim head coach Elijah Robinson will remain on Elko’s coaching staff.
“Coach Elko has a vision for Aggie football and a specific plan for innovation and greatness, which is exactly what our program needs right now to compete in the modern era of college athletics,” Bjork explained.
“We are fortunate to attract a head coach of his character, coaching acumen, recruiting experience in the SEC, winning formula, ability to develop players to their full potential, and a love and familiarity with Aggieland and our University, which makes him a perfect match,” he concluded. “We are excited to welcome Coach Elko and his family back to Aggieland, and we cannot wait to get started.”
Texas A&M was one of several teams looking for a new head coach after the season. Four vacancies (A&M, Michigan State, Mississippi State, and Northwestern) have been filled, but 10 remain after the fallout.
