Mike Elko leaving Duke, returns as head coach to Texas A&M
Posted November 26, 2023 4:46 p.m. EST
Updated November 27, 2023 8:29 p.m. EST
Texas A&M hired Duke coach Mike Elko, replacing Jimbo Fisher with the man who was his defensive coordinator for four years in College Station, the university announced Monday morning.
"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 a statement. "He is known amongst 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."
The 46-year-old Elko went 16-9 in two seasons at Duke. He guided the Blue Devils to back-to-back bowl games and beat Clemson in a nationally televised season opener in September. ESPN's College GameDay broadcast, for the first time, from a Duke football game earlier this year.
Early Monday morning, media covering Texas A&M posted pictures and videos of Elko arriving on a plane in College Station.
"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 said in the statement.
A copy of the terms of Elko's contract has circulated on social media, disclosing that his annual base salary will be $7,000,000 with a $1 million incentive to make the College Football Playoff and a $3.5 million bonus if the Aggies win the national championship. The contract runs through January of 2030 and includes an $11 million salary pool for assistant coaches, analysts and other staff members.
The Blue Devils defeated Pittsburgh on Saturday to end the regular season 7-5, despite injuries to star quarterback Riley Leonard. In 2022, Elko led the Blue Devils to a 9-4 record.
Elko signed a contract extension with Duke through 2029 in the offseason.
Elko has insisted that Duke is where he wanted to be as his name was throw out in connection with various coaching jobs, including Northwestern, Michigan State and, most recently, Texas A&M.
Elko previously worked at Notre Dame, Wake Forest and Bowling Green, among other stops. He was the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M from 2018 to 2021.
Texas A&M, a member of the SEC, fired Fisher in November. He was 45-25 in six seasons at Texas A&M. The Aggies finished the season 7-5.
