Mike Elko - Head Coach - Football Coaches

Mike Elko

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
mike.elko@duke.edu
Phone:
(919) 684-2635

Mike Elko was named Duke University’s 22nd head football coach on December 10, 2021, and in his first season led the Blue Devils to nine regular season victories to garner ACC Coach of the Year honors.

With over two decades of coaching experience, Elko has coached in nine bowl games, helped two different teams to NCAA Division I-AA quarterfinal appearances and been part of four league championship squads. Elko’s bowl games include the 2009 Humanitarian, 2012 Military, 2013 Little Caesars, 2016 Military, 2017 Citrus, 2018 Gator, 2019 Texas, 2020 Orange, and the 2022 Military.

Last season, Elko guided Duke to an overall record of 9-4 capped by a 30-13 victory over UCF in the Military Bowl to become the first head coach in program history to lead his team to nine wins and a bowl victory in the first season at the helm. After Duke recorded an 0-8 ledger in ACC play in 2021, Elko took the reins and guided the Blue Devils to a 5-3 mark last season to match the best one-year improvement by a winless team in league history. In addition, the plus-six overall improvement (3 wins in 2021 to 9 victories in 2022) equaled the second-best turnaround in ACC history.

In year one of Elko’s leadership, the Blue Devils showed marked improvement on the field, moving from 102nd and 127th nationally in scoring offense and defense to 31st, respectively, in both categories. Duke’s total offense and defensive rankings also advanced under Elko, going from 54th and 130th to 43rd and 67th, respectively.

The most significant turnaround came in turnover margin where the Blue Devils jumped from 108th nationally in 2021 to an ACC-best and No. 2 national mark of +1.23.

Additionally in 2022, Duke ranked first nationally in fumbles recovered (16) and punt return average (19.92), fifth in fewest turnovers lost (10), eighth in tackles for loss allowed (3.92), ninth in both fewest fumbles lost (4) and most turnovers gained (26), 12th in fewest interceptions thrown (6), 23rd in sacks (2.8) and 25th in winning percentage (.692).

Nine Blue Devils earned All-ACC honors, highlighted by first team offensive tackle Graham Barton. First-year starter and honorable mention All-ACC selection Riley Leonard finished his sophomore campaign as the only quarterback in the ACC and one of just two nationally with 13-plus rushing and 20-plus passing touchdowns in 2022. Senior wide receiver Jalon Calhoun and redshirt senior linebacker Shaka Heyward also achieved personal success under Elko. Calhoun became 11th player in program history with 2,000 career receiving yards, while Heyward became the 21st player in program history to garner 300-plus tackles in a career.

Prior to Duke, Elko spent four seasons as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Texas A&M University under head coach Jimbo Fisher. While there, Elko helped lead the Aggies to a 34-14 (.708) record and four consecutive bowl games.

In his final season, Elko was named a semifinalist for the Frank Broyles Award, which is given annually to the top assistant coach in college football, for the second time in his career after mentoring the group to the No. 3 national ranking in scoring defense, allowing just 15.92 points per game, as well as the No. 9 pass efficiency defense (112.00) and No. 7 red zone defense (.710). Texas A&M also ranked seventh in the country by allowing just 4.66 yards per play, tied for 10th in fourth down defense (.353), tied for 12th in total sacks (39.0) and defensive touchdowns (3), 16th in third down defense (.328) and 20th in total defense (327.5).

Before his time with the Aggies, Elko spent one season at the University of Notre Dame with head coach Brian Kelly where he helped the defense rank in the top half nationally in four major defensive categories. He was named a semifinalist for the Frank Broyles Award, after helping guide the Irish to a 10-3 record during his lone season in South Bend, including a 21-17 win over LSU in the 2017 Citrus Bowl. Notre Dame’s unit showed marked improvement in total defense under Elko with an average of 369.2 yards allowed per game. Additionally, the Irish improved at least 20 spots in the national rankings in rushing defense (72nd to 51st), pass efficiency defense (79th to 46th), scoring defense (62nd to 31st), third down defense (60th to 37th), turnovers gained (104th to 50th), sacks (117th to 82nd) and tackles for loss (102nd to 58th).

Elko served three seasons (2014-16) at Wake Forest University as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach for head coach Dave Clawson. His 2016 unit ranked in the top-20 nationally in fumbles recovered (3rd), turnovers forced (10th), sacks (12th), defensive TDs (17th), red zone defense (17th) and scoring defense (20th). That year, the Demon Deacons were one of the four schools in the FBS to rank in the top-20 in turnovers forced, sacks and scoring defense. The three other programs qualified for the College Football Playoff that season (Alabama, Clemson and Washington).

In 2015, the Wake Forest defense ranked 38th in the nation, allowing just 363.8 yards per game. The Demon Deacons also ranked among the national leaders in red zone defense and pass defense efficiency. A year earlier, Wake Forest finished 12th nationally in passing yards allowed and was a top-40 team in total defense. The unit finished with five defensive players earning All-ACC honors.

During his stint in Winston-Salem, he mentored All-ACC and ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up Jessie Bates III, who finished with 93 tackles and five interceptions in his career, including two that were returned for a touchdown in 2016.

Elko was also on Clawson’s staff for five seasons (2009-13) as Bowling Green’s defensive coordinator and linebackers (three seasons) and safeties (two seasons) coach. He helped the Falcons to three bowl game appearances and saw his unit finish first in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in scoring defense, total defense, rushing defense and pass defense efficiency in each of his last two years. Over his five seasons as defensive coordinator, the Falcons forced 106 turnovers (1.7 per game) and held opponents to just a 35.9 percent conversion rate on third downs. In both 2012 and 2013, Bowling Green ranked in the top 10 in the nation in both total defense and scoring defense.

In 2012 alone, the Falcons held their opposition to under 100 yards rushing in nine contests and would end the season ranked 11th in sacks (38), 12th in rushing defense (106.5), 13th in pass defense efficiency (190.1) and fifth in first downs allowed (15.1).

Under Elko’s guidance, Bowling Green had seven different players earn 14 All-MAC honors, including three-time recipients Chris Jones and Dwayne Woods. Jones would go on to be named a 2012 First Team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).

Prior to Bowling Green, Elko was the defensive coordinator at Hofstra from 2006-08. He also served on Clawson’s staffs at Richmond in 2004-05 and at Fordham in 2002-03.

In 2007 the Pride’s defense ranked first in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and 11th in the FCS in rushing defense, second in the conference and 15th in the country in total defense, and fourth in the CAA and 37th in the FCS in scoring defense. With Fordham, Elko helped the 2002 team to a Patriot League title after a 10-3 season.

Elko’s coaching experience also includes one-year stints at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (2001), where he served as defensive coordinator, and at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania (2000), directing the secondary. The Quakers won the 2000 Ivy League title during his lone season on staff. He began his coaching career at Stony Brook in 1999 where he guided the linebackers in the fall and the defensive backs in the spring.

A native of South Brunswick, N.J., Elko graduated from Penn with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1999. As a safety, he helped the Quakers to the 1998 Ivy League crown.

Elko is married to the former Michelle Madison of Franklinville, N.J., and they are the parents of three children Michael, Andrew and Kaitlyn. Michael is a member of the baseball program at the University of Richmond.

THE MIKE ELKO FILE
Hometown: South Brunswick, N.J.
Education: Penn, 1999 (History)
Wife: Michelle
Children: Michael, Andrew and Kaitlyn
Birthday: July 28, 1977

ELKO'S COACHING CAREER