Michael Elko (born July 28, 1977) is an American college football coach who is the head football coach at Texas A&M University. He was previously the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M from 2018 until his hiring by Duke on December 10, 2021, and subsequent departure from Duke and hiring by Texas A&M on November 26, 2023.[2]
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Texas A&M |
| Conference | SEC |
| Record | 8–2 |
| Annual salary | $7 million[1] |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | July 28, 1977 South Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1995–1998 | Penn |
| Position(s) | Safety |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1999 | Stony Brook (GA) |
| 2000 | Penn (DB) |
| 2001 | Merchant Marine (DC/DB) |
| 2002–2003 | Fordham (co-DC/LB) |
| 2004–2005 | Richmond (ST/LB) |
| 2006 | Hofstra (DC/DB) |
| 2007 | Hofstra (DC/LB) |
| 2008 | Hofstra (AHC/DC/LB) |
| 2009–2013 | Bowling Green (DC/LB) |
| 2014–2016 | Wake Forest (DC/S) |
| 2017 | Notre Dame (DC) |
| 2018–2021 | Texas A&M (DC/S) |
| 2022–2023 | Duke |
| 2024–present | Texas A&M |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 24–11 |
| Bowls | 1–0 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| |
Early life
Raised in South Brunswick, New Jersey, Elko graduated in 1995 from South Brunswick High School, where he played baseball, basketball and was the quarterback for the school's football team.[3] He was recognized by the coaches of the Greater Middlesex Conference as the league's top quarterback in 1994 and was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 2012.[4] He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where he played for the Penn Quakers football team that won the Ivy league championship in 1998.[3]
Coaching career
Early career
Elko coached under Dave Clawson for 12 seasons. He spent two seasons with Clawson at both Fordham and Richmond, five seasons with him at Bowling Green, and three seasons with Clawson at Wake Forest.[3] During the 2016 season, Elko's Wake Forest defense ranked in the top 20 for NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in defensive touchdowns scored, turnovers, red zone defense, sacks, and scoring defense.
Notre Dame
On December 20, 2016, Elko was announced as the new defensive coordinator at Notre Dame Fighting Irish football[5] The Fighting Irish fired DC Brian VanGorder the prior September after Notre Dame started the season with a 1–3 record and a defense ranked third from the bottom of the FBS.[6]
Texas A&M (defensive coordinator)
On January 4, 2018, Elko was hired by Jimbo Fisher as the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M inking a three-year deal averaging $1.8M/year.[7][8]
Duke
On December 13, 2021, Elko was announced as head coach at Duke.[9] In his first season, the Blue Devils went 9–4 with a win in the Military Bowl. In 2023, Duke began the season with an upset 28–7 win over Clemson, and finished the regular season 7–5.
Texas A&M (head coach)
On November 27, 2023, Elko was named the head coach of Texas A&M.[10]
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Blue Devils (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2022–2023) | |||||||||
| 2022 | Duke | 9–4 | 5–3 | T–2nd (Coastal) | W Military | ||||
| 2023 | Duke | 7–5 | 4–4 | T–6th | Birmingham[a] | ||||
| Duke: | 16–9 | 9–7 | |||||||
| Texas A&M Aggies (Southeastern Conference) (2024–present) | |||||||||
| 2024 | Texas A&M | 8–2 | 5–1 | ||||||
| Texas A&M: | 8–2 | 5–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 24–11 | ||||||||
- ^ Did not coach bowl game
References
- ^ "Mike Elko contract, salary: Deal for new Texas A&M coach heavy on incentives for postseason success". November 27, 2023.
- ^ Thamel, Pete (November 26, 2023). "Sources: Texas A&M, Elko agree on deal to make him new coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ a b c Sargeant, Keith. "Defensive coordinator with N.J. roots reportedly headed to Notre Dame | Who is Mike Elko?", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 16, 2016. Accessed January 15, 2017. "Mike Elko, 39, grew up in South Brunswick, starring as the high school's quarterback before heading to play linebacker at the University of Pennsylvania and then beginning a collegiate coaching career that is now in its second decade. The 1995 South Brunswick High School graduate is set to be named the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, according to SI.com and other published reports."
- ^ Viking Athletic Club Hall of Fame Class of 2012, South Brunswick High School. Accessed January 15, 2017.
- ^ Mike Elko Named Notre Dame Defensive Coordinator, Notre Dame Fighting Irish football. Accessed January 15, 2017. "In 2016 at Wake Forest, Elko coordinated one of the two FBS defenses to rank in the top-20 in turnovers forced, sacks, red zone defense and scoring defense.... Wake Forest was one of four schools in the FBS to rank in the top-20 in turnovers forced, sacks and scoring defense in 2016. The other three schools -- Alabama, Clemson and Washington -- qualified for the College Football Playoff."
- ^ via Associated Press. "Notre Dame hires Wake Forest's Elko as defensive coordinator", Chicago Tribune, December 21, 2016. Accessed January 15, 2017. "Notre Dame has hired Mike Elko as its defensive coordinator, hoping he can turn around a unit that struggled at the beginning of last season and was blamed in part for a down year for the Fighting Irish.... Brian VanGorder was fired as defensive coordinator on Sept. 25, the day after a 38-35 loss to Duke dropped Notre Dame to 1-3 in what ended up being a 4-8 season. The Irish were ranked 103rd out of 128 teams in total defense at the time, giving up 456 yards a game."
- ^ Thamel, Pete (January 4, 2018). "Source: Mike Elko's deal at Texas A&M is three years at an average of $1.8 million per year". @PeteThamel. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
- ^ Norvell, Thad (January 4, 2018). "Texas A&M hires Notre Dame's Mike Elko as defensive coordinator". TexAgs. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ "Mike Elko Introduced as Duke's Next Head Coach". Duke University Athletics. December 13, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
- ^ "Mike Elko Named Head Football Coach". 12thMan.com. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.