'So Much Respect!' Mike Elko Opens Up About Facing Former QB Riley Leonard in Season Opener

In an ironic twist of fate, new Texas A&M Aggies coach Mike Elko will be facing his former Duke QB Riley Leonard in the season opener next season vs. Notre Dame.

The NCAA Transfer Portal and NIL have forever changed the landscape of college football. 

Now, instead of staying for the duration of their four to five-year commitment to their college of choice, players are free to transfer and play immediately at whichever college they choose more often than not. 

Some may argue it has tainted college football, while others believe the players should have every right to make their own choices. 

Either way, it is exactly how the Texas A&M Aggies looked to improve their roster this offseason. 

And also exactly why new head coach Mike Elko will be forced to take on his former quarterback at Duke - Riley Leonard - when the Aggies take on Notre Dame in their season opener at Kyle Field next fall.

Clutch Points

“It’s the modern era of college football, right? This is how it goes nowadays,” Elko told On3. “Obviously, I’ve got so much respect for Riley. He’s such a great kid, a great quarterback and a great competitor. I’d pick an awful lot of quarterbacks I’d rather have be on the other sideline from me in my opener than him. But it is what it is, and that’s the world we live in today."

Together, and when Leonard was healthy, he and Elko had as much success as one could imagine at Duke, and developed a tremendous amount of rapport.

Over the previous two seasons, Leonard went 13-7 as the starter, leading the Blue Devils to a 9-4 record in 2022, and going 4-3 last season before falling victim to a season-ending injury. 

Mike Elko Reveals What Changes Were Needed at Texas A&M

For context, it was just the second time the Blue Devils had managed back-to-back eight and nine-win seasons (2014 and 2015) since the 1938 and 1939 seasons. 

All that said, when the two face off against one another on August 31, that relationship will be put on hold.

"There’s a lot of mutual respect between the two of us," Elko said. "I think he knows like I know we’re both high-level competitors, too. For those three and a half hours, we won’t be rooting for each other. And then, we’ll shake hands and wish each other the best for the rest of the year.”