Sources: Duke’s Mike Elko to Become Texas A&M Head Coach

The former Duke coach will take over the Aggies football program.

Duke‘s Mike Elko emerged as the leading candidate at Texas A&M over the weekend, and a deal to make him the Aggies’ next coach was finalized early Monday morning, sources tell Sports Illustrated.

Elko had told his Blue Devils team on Sunday afternoon that he would make a decision within 24 hours, according to a report from ESPN.

Elko, a former defensive coordinator at A&M from 2018 to ’21, came into play Sunday after talks with Kentucky coach Mark Stoops were abruptly halted Saturday night. Negotiations with Stoops had gotten far enough down the road that the coach told some staffers and others close to him that he was going to take the A&M job. But shortly after 1 a.m. ET Sunday, Stoops posted a tweet saying he was staying at Kentucky.

Mike Elko served as Duke’s head coach for two seasons. Now, he returns to Texas A&M, where he previously worked as defensive coordinator :: Melina Myers/USA TODAY Sports

Elko rebuilt Duke into an ACC contender, going 16–9 in two seasons there. He was a candidate for the vacant Michigan State job but removed his name from consideration last week, paving the way for the Spartans to hire Jonathan Smith of Oregon State.