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Mike Elko

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Mike Elko
Elko in 2024
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamTexas A&M
ConferenceSEC
Record19–7
Annual salary$7 million[1]
Biographical details
Born (1977-07-28) July 28, 1977 (age 48)
South Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
Playing career
1995–1998Penn
PositionSafety
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1999Stony Brook (GA)
2000Penn (DB)
2001Merchant Marine (DC/DB)
2002–2003Fordham (co-DC/LB)
2004–2005Richmond (ST/LB)
2006Hofstra (DC/DB)
2007Hofstra (DC/LB)
2008Hofstra (AHC/DC/LB)
2009–2013Bowling Green (DC/LB)
2014–2016Wake Forest (DC/S)
2017Notre Dame (DC)
2018–2021Texas A&M (DC/S)
2022–2023Duke
2024–presentTexas A&M
Head coaching record
Overall35–16
Bowls1–2
Tournaments0–1 (CFP)
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
ACC Coach of the Year (2022)
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Michael Elko (born July 28, 1977) is an American college football coach who is the head football coach at Texas A&M University, a position he has held since 2024.[2] He was previously the head coach at Duke for the 2022 and 2023 seasons and the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M from 2018 to 2021.

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] Elko was credited with significantly improving the team's defense, ranking 31st in scoring defense, 39th in pass efficiency defense, and 43rd in turnovers gained.[7]

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.[8][9]

Duke

On December 13, 2021, Elko was announced as head coach at Duke.[10] 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)

2024 season

On November 27, 2023, Elko was named head coach at Texas A&M University.[11] In his first season, Elko led the Aggies to a 5–0 starting conference record—the Aggies' best start in SEC conference play.[12] Elko also oversaw the revival of the Lone Star Showdown at Kyle Field, which was the first time the Texas–Texas A&M football rivalry had been played in 13 years. The Aggies went 1–4 in their final five games and finished the season 8–5, including a 43–41 four-overtime loss to Auburn and a loss in the Las Vegas Bowl.

2025 season

As of Week 13, Elko has led the Aggies to an 11–0 record—their first time doing such since 1992.[13] Additionally, the Aggies were ranked third in the most recent Associated Press top 25 poll, their highest ranking in 30 years.[14] On November 15, Elko and the university reached an agreement to a new six-year contract that would extend him through the 2031 season.[15] Later that day, the Aggies pulled off the largest comeback in school history against the South Carolina Gamecocks, scoring 28 unanswered points in the second half and winning 31–30. SEC teams had lost 366 straight games since 1992 when trailing by 27 or more points.[16]

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 8–5 5–3 T–4th L Las Vegas
2025 Texas A&M 11–2 7–1 T–1st L CFP First Round†
Texas A&M: 19–7 12–4
Total: 35–16
  1. ^ Did not coach bowl game

References

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  3. ^ 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."
  4. ^ Viking Athletic Club Hall of Fame Class of 2012, South Brunswick High School. Accessed January 15, 2017.
  5. ^ 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."
  6. ^ 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."
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