Texas A&M and Duke’s Mike Elko have reached an agreement to make him the school’s next head coach, after years away from the club.
The move is expected to be made official in the next 24 hours, per ESPN. Elko also talked to his team about the potential move on Sunday.
Elko joined Texas A&M as their defensive coordinator in 2018 after holding the same post at Notre Dame in 2017 and Wake Forest from 2014 to 2016. He was in place for the Aggies during a good period of football that included a 9-1 season in 2020 and an Orange Bowl win.
Since Elko’s departure after the 2021 season, A&M’s performance has been terrible on the field. The Aggies went 12-12 the past two years, which is why the school paid a record $76 million buyout to fire coach Jimbo Fisher.
When Mike left Texas A&M, Duke went 9-4 in Elko’s first season after he inherited a team that had gone 3-9 the year before. Duke finished 7-5 and will go to a bowl game for the second consecutive season.
The Texas A&M program hasn’t won a league title since 1998 and hasn’t played in the conference title game since entering the SEC in 2012.
Last season, Elko led Duke to its first nine-win season since 2014 and was named ACC Coach of the Year. Duke defeated Central Florida 30-13 in the Miltary Bowl and finished just outside the top 25 of the AP Poll.
A&M initially had targeted Stoops to replace Fisher. At the time, Elko had reportedly said he planned on staying in Durham for another season.
