Texas A&M football’s dramatic weekend, plus Ohio State’s drop in AP poll

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Four coaches were fired yesterday while another found his new spot.

Here’s what’s happening in college football Until Saturday ...

Let’s Start With the Hires

Elko to Texas A&M?

Texas A&M is expected to hire Duke’s Mike Elko as its coach , sources briefed on the hiring process told The Athletic.

The past few days have been a whirlwind in Aggieland. First, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops was said to be a top target for the job late Saturday night. But after midnight, Stoops declared he was staying put in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that left an impression there was more to this story.

Regardless, the future seems decided with Elko reportedly on his way. The 46-year-old is and is familiar with Texas A&M after serving as the Aggies’ defensive coordinator from 2018-21. He is the second coach in Blue Devils history to take the team to back-to-back bowls and was the ACC Coach of the Year in 2022.

Elko was one of the most sound candidates of this coaching cycle, and A&M chose the right route after the situation with former coach Jimbo Fisher blew up in flames worth $77.6 million. This is a smart hire of someone with head-coaching experience, familiarity with the program and a proven no-nonsense attitude. It may not be the flashiest move, but Texas A&M made the sensible one here (although in its own A&M way), our Sam Khan Jr. writes today.

I have to say, however, that this feels like a bummer for Duke, and I’m curious what the future holds for junior quarterback Riley Leonard .

Mississippi State locks in Lebby

Also yesterday, Mississippi State hired Oklahoma offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Jeff Lebby as its next coach.

Behind Lebby, an Oklahoma alum, the Sooners rank fourth in total offense and third in scoring offense this season. The 39-year-old made stops at Ole Miss , UCF , Southeastern (NAIA) and Baylor in his coaching career.

This will be Lebby’s first head-coaching job.