Mike Elko Cracks Top 10 In First SEC Coach Rankings Of 2024

Elko will be looking to take his rebuild of the Aggie football team to new heights this upcoming season.

CBS Sports published their rankings for the 2024 SEC head football coaches Thursday, and the rankings should come as a surprise to no one to see names like Georgia's Kirby Smart or LSU's Brian Kelly near the top of said list.

However, Mike Elko is still yet to call his first official play for Texas A&M, and he has been ranked ninth, seeming that CBS Sports still holds high expectations for the newcomer despite him only having two full seasons of head coaching experience, both coming at Duke.

Elko, of course, was the defensive coordinator for the Aggies from 2018 to 2021 before leaving to coach the Blue Devils. There, he led them to a 16-9 overall record in his two years and won the sole bowl game he coached at Duke, a 30-13 route of UCF in the 2022 Military Bowl.

In the opening game of the 2023 season, he led his Blue Devils to a monumental 28-7 upset over the Clemson Tigers and their coach Dabo Swinney.

Elko himself has said on multiple occasions that he is looking forward to the season, and Aggie fans are excited to see the results of the quick offseason rebuild.

Here is the complete ranking of the 2024 SEC head football coaches, according to CBS Sports:

1) Kirby Smart, Georgia

2) Brian Kelly, LSU

3) Steve Sarkisian, Texas

4) Kalen DeBoer, Alabama

5) Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss

6) Mark Stoops, Kentucky

7) Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri

8) Josh Heupel, Tennessee

9) Mike Elko, Texas A&M

10) Hugh Freeze, Auburn

11) Brent Venables, Oklahoma

12) Shane Beamer, South Carolina

13) Billy Napier, Florida

14) Sam Pittman, Arkansas

15) Clark Lea, Vanderbilt

16) Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State