Report: Duke's Mike Elko, Texas A&M Discussing HC Contract After Mark Stoops Rumors

Grant Halverson/

Texas A&M may be close to securing its next head coach.

Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that the University is in discussions with current Duke head coach Mike Elko about the current head coach vacancy. Elko has reportedly informed the Blue Devils that he will be making his decision in the next 24 hours.

Elko was with the Aggies from 2018-2021 where he served as the team's defensive coordinator under head coach Jimbo Fisher. Fisher was fired midseason in 2023, and Elijah Robinson has served as the team's interim head coach.

This news comes one day after conflicting reports involving Kentucky coach Mark Stoops emerged. Stoops ultimately took to social media to let it be known he was staying with the Wildcats.

Elko left College Station to become the Duke coach ahead of the 2022 season and has had a pretty successful tenure in Durham. The Blue Devils went 9-4 in Elko's first season, including a 30-13 victory over UCF in the Military Bowl, and started 4-0 in 2023 before finishing 7-5 in his second season.

His 16-9 start to his coaching career at Duke has been extremely promising, especially considering the Blue Devils had three consecutive losing seasons prior to his arrival.

Elko's previous experience with the program means he could be a familiar face to a team that desperately wishes to take the next step. The news comes after rumors that the University was planning to hire Kentucky coach Mark Stoops were proven to be premature.

The Aggies went 7-5 in 2023 and finished in fourth place in the SEC East.