Mike Elko represents both 'obvious' & 'right' choice for A&M football

The right choice is often the obvious choice.

The obvious choice for Texas A&M’s next head football coach is Mike Elko. He’s also the right choice to replace ousted coach Jimbo Fisher.

The fact there were chaotic pratfalls and embarrassing reversals prior to Elko’s hiring calls for choice words for all involved.

But all is well that ends well. The bet here is A&M’s coaching missteps will… Well, end with Elko.

He might not be the proverbial home run hire. But he isn’t the two-base error of every A&M hire since R.C. Slocum.

Elko is smart. He’s strong. He’s not stubborn.

He’ll ensure the Aggies will have a strong defense. The bet here is he’ll defer to a capable offensive coordinator — maybe even Bobby Petrino — to clear the clogged pipes of Fisher’s failed offensive system.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

During Elko’s four seasons at A&M, the Aggie defense ranked inside the nation’s top 15 on twice occasions (2020 & 2021).

A&M could have gone for higher-profile coaches. Maybe Director of Athletics Ross Bjork did but was blocked by varying circumstances.

Washington’s Kalen DeBoer isn’t bailing on a team in the national championship hunt. Clemson’s Dabo Swinney seemed like a pipe dream. Ohio State’s Ryan Day wouldn’t figure to leave Columbus unless forced. Kentucky’s Mark Stoops was a forced feed.

Some Aggies favored Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin, but a listing ship need not take on fresh water.

No doubt, A&M is a listing ship. A mere 20 victories over three seasons makes that abundantly clear.

However, the right guy can righten the ship.

Elko is the right guy.

He has had success as a head coach. He’s posted 16 wins in two seasons at Duke, which is historically a coaching graveyard. His nine-win season in 2022 marked just the seventh time Duke has managed that many victories.

He also understands what he’s getting into at A&M. He lived four years in College Station. His sons went to high school here. There will be no surprises.

Further, Elko has a well-earned reputation as a brilliant defensive coach. As Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator, he supervised defensive units which ranked ninth in the country in 2020 and 14th in the country in 2021.

He’ll demand more from A&M defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin. That is, in the unlikely event he retains Durkin.

But Elko figures to retain Elijah Robinson for his defensive line expertise, recruiting acumen and to keep a large portion of A&M’s championship-caliber roster intact.

Make no mistake, A&M has a championship-caliber roster. The Aggies held second-half leads over SEC rivals Alabama, Tennessee, Ole Miss and LSU despite playing second- and third-string quarterbacks.

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Elko has a 16-9 record as a head coach, and seven of those losses have come by one score.

With a little more luck and better coaching, the Aggies can celebrate closing out victories rather than lament close losses.

Of course, there are no guarantees. FIsher’s track record of 10-win seasons and a national title indicated he would have immense success at A&M.

The Aggies flourished for three seasons but ultimately floundered under Fisher. They managed eight wins in 2021, but Fisher curiously opted out of the Gator Bowl.

And here we’ve been told so often how vital are those extra weeks of bowl practice.

Then there was the 5-7 debacle of 2022, followed by this season’s 7-5 finish.

Detractors will point out Elko was just 7-5 at Duke this year, too.

But not all 7-5 records are the same. At A&M, Fisher was able to recruit the nation’s premier prospects. Elko had to settle on second-tier recruits and overachievers.

Heck, Riley Leonard was a three-star prospect who was also recruited by Nebraska, South Alabama, Tulane and Southern Miss.

Elko, with Robinson on the point, will recruit at a high level for A&M. The bet here is there will be better player development, better discipline, better clock management and better offense. That all will result in better seasons.

I believe A&M will be better with Elko.

He might not have been the first choice, but he was the right choice.