This came across my feed and I didn't see a thread about it.

Mike Elko's act of selflessness will give Aggie fans exactly what they want

When you look back at any wildly successful "anything", actions like this is what causes it. A big morale boost to both the staff and players. This is the kind of guy's organization I'd like to be a part of ("infinity ag" blocked from commenting)

[insert "It's happening" meme here]

elko is special

He's a great person and extremely sharp head coach.

That's a cool article.

Elko is awesome! BTHO samford!!

It seems like Elko understands what it takes to win at the highest level. His organization, structure, dedication, tireless work ethic, and culture he has brought in should pay dividends, not only in the short term, but in the future as well. Obviously, time will tell, but it certainly seems he has us on the right track moving forward.

I heard when Dabo started at Clemson, there was no money budgeted to hire a full-time admin assistant for him, so he told them to just go ahead and take it out of his salary. I know Clemson isn't so hot right now and neither is Dabo, but if Elko wins us a couple CFP championships before eventually declining, I wouldn't say no to it.

Doesn't need more money since he's going to LSU, but he does need loyalty from his staff so they go with him.

Love this.

My guess is that it is more of a business move rather than from altruism. Smart, IMO.

Drawkcab said:

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Doesn't need more money since he's going to LSU, but he does need loyalty from his staff so they go with him.

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LSU is broke, can't even pay Kelly's buyout.

Elko knows how much it benefits him to be able to get top assistants. If he gives up some money, not only does his quality of life increase with having better help, but he will get better results and thus more money in the long run.

Elko doesn't have a massive ego and is a rational person. Any rational person in his situation, knowing how important assistant coaches and support staff are, should do the same thing. If you're being offered $13 million, why not agree to take $10 or $11 million and spread the difference among your staff to shore up retention, instill loyalty, and ultimately win more games and lengthen your tenure? Seems like a no-brainer to me, but most of the head coaches at this level are egomaniacs if not outright narcissists, so you don't see this very often. Good for Elko.

I keep saying this but whoever is evaluating portal players needs a HUGE raise. We have hit home runs in the portal and it's not just because we are outspending everyone. The top two portal teams last year were LSU and Auburn and look what they have to show for it.

We got the right guy.

That's obvious.

But. I also think he does it bc he cares about his staff. Not just a means to winning. He really wants them to be rewarded as well.

LB12Diamond said:

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That's obvious.

But. I also think he does it bc he cares about his staff. Not just a means to winning. He really wants them to be rewarded as well.

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I don't think it's generosity as much as acknowledgement that guys like Moffet and our GM are a big reason we are where we are if we want to continue to succeed we need to keep that group together.

I said it's both. You are not paying attention if you cannot see the kind of person Elko is.

I actually like him even more bc he's honest and real. Winning is great but how you win also helps.

Didn't Jimbo have one of the biggest assistant budgets in the country?

Jimbo's issue was never the money it was his limited network for finding quality assistants and his tendency not to trust them with real responsibility.

My only concern with Elko is whether he'll end up having to call the defense himself long-term. That might not be ideal for a head coach trying to manage the whole program.

LB12Diamond said:

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I said it's both. You are not paying attention if you cannot see the kind of person Elko is.

I actually like him even more bc he's honest and real. Winning is great but how you win also helps.

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I'm paying attention. I can see the difference between now and the Jimbo era. I'm just saying it's not selflessness, it's acknowledging that if we want to build something that lasts it takes an entire organization. That and his salary is among the top coaches in the country. Where it belongs.

When everyone was saying we shouldn't give him a raise and extension I was banging the drum on here that he earned the raise because he was the 11th highest paid in the SEC and that he was performing way above that level.

I don't remember Jimbo taking less at his raise/extension so his staff could get more.

Not only did Elko do that one. The bonus structure goes into affect immediately for his staff. Not next year.

I know what you are saying. My response clearly acknowledged what you are stating. And I'm stating it's even more than that.

Hey man, it's a good thing he's a good person. He's the kind of person I would want coaching my son.

LB12Diamond said:

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I know what you are saying. My response clearly acknowledged what you are stating. And I'm stating it's even more than that.

Hey man, it's a good thing he's a good person. He's the kind of person I would want coaching my son.

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I agree 100% then.

Strictly a tax-write off for Elko.





Kidding, it's smart. After a certain point, how many millions does anyone really need.

Quote:

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Article:
Locking him up for the long term was a priority given how well these first two years have gone so far, and the Aggies finally got it done.

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But how is anyone "locking up" anyone else? Elko can still leave if Elon Musk gives him $1B next year to coach Elon University (the place actually exists). He will pay whatever it costs to break the deal with A&M.

PS: I commented AFTER I saw my name in the OP. Sorry about that.

Elko thinking about his people makes me love him even more. Now that is the kind of leadership I look up to. We need CEOs like him. Real leadership. I am thrilled that we got him.

It's a smart play, you can't win without good staff and players (NIL). If they have those things and win, he'll get all that money and more back through incentives.

As bad as our contracts have been, these new incentives are much more like normal business where every one wins if you perform.

dr_java said:

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My guess is that it is more of a business move rather than from altruism. Smart, IMO.

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It may be a business move, but at $1.5M annually for 6 year contract, that is $9M. Sure, he will be perfectly secure with his $69M base salary over 6 years, but $9M is not nothing.

I know everyone that posts here is a billionaire, but I don't know many of us leaving money on the table to pay our subordinates.

Elko is a good man, and he is making a lot of good men who represent our beloved university. I am prouder to be an Aggie today than I was before reading this.

Elko is everything we wanted Jimbo to be.

LB12Diamond said:

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I said it's both. You are not paying attention if you cannot see the kind of person Elko is.

I actually like him even more bc he's honest and real. Winning is great but how you win also helps.

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His post game press conferences are just so refreshing compared to Jimbo's and Sumlin's. Everything he says just makes sense and you get the feeling that all these things have been worked on and thought through in great detail. There is a real attention to detail, and part of the foundation he is building.

PyriteAg said:

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Elko is everything we wanted Jimbo to be.

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On that note, there was a good interview where Elko shared how he came to be our coach.

He said, paraphrasing here, when he heard Stoops was the candidate he was able to relax and focus on Duke.

When that fell through his phone was blowing up with calls from the Aggie powers that be. However, he apparently had no interest in moving because he didn't want to uproot his family, yet again.

But, when a friend/colleague reminded him of something he said when coaching with Jimbo - If the Aggies just had discipline they could win a national championship - he made the decision to leave Durham.

I don't care what the reasoning is behind it - it's cool and makes me feel even better about Elko.

Elko negotiated exactly the way I would have done it.
Money now is good as a college coach, but longevity is better.

He just "bought a vowel." With more money for NIL and assistants he will now have an advantage over his competitors.
Chalk that up to an extra win per year going forward.
And chalk up an extra win per year to at least 1 or 2 more years worth of contract extensions.
Elko is sacrificing $1.5 million with an expected return of ~$10+ million in the future. Smart move in my opinion.

PyriteAg said:

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Elko is everything we wanted Jimbo to be.

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Yeah, the whole "it ain't gonna be like it used to be" was a bunch of bs, it was exactly like it used to be, just without the flash.

Ag In A Small Town said:

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It seems like Elko understands what it takes to win at the highest level. His organization, structure, dedication, tireless work ethic, and culture he has brought in should pay dividends, not only in the short term, but in the future as well. Obviously, time will tell, but it certainly seems he has us on the right track moving forward.

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I feel like you could find this identical statement or something similar said about our last two head coaches at the beginning of their tenure.

Maybe we need to structure a NIL pool to pay out bonuses to players based on their production and the team's performance (i.e., winning conference, make playoffs, advance to second round, etc.), if we're not already doing this.

AGinHI said:

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But, when a friend/colleague reminded him of something he said when coaching with Jimbo - If the Aggies just had discipline they could win a national championship - he made the decision to leave Durham.

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I wonder what he meant by this. Did the players just need discipline, does the football organization need discipline, does the institution need discipline, or do all Aggies need discipline? Whatever it is, seems like he got it.