Notre Dame suffered a big loss on defense Thursday as coordinator Mike Elko left the school to become defensive coordinator at Texas A&M.
Elko helped revive the Irish defense in 2017 during his one season in South Bend, Ind.
“Mike Elko has made the decision to accept an offer to be the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said in a statement. “We appreciate his work and effort over the last year with our program and wish him the best moving forward.”
Elko’s move was first reported by TexAgs.com.
New Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher reportedly had made a big push to hire away LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who instead signed a reported four-year, $10 million guaranteed deal Wednesday to remain at LSU.
“I am excited to bring one of the top defensive minds in the nation onto our staff here at Texas A&M,” Fisher said of Elko in a statement. “No matter where Mike has worked, he has consistently produced defenses that have been among the nation’s best.”
The Irish allowed 21.5 points per game under Elko in 2017, which ranked 31st in the nation — down from 27.8 in 2016, which ranked 62nd. They improved in other areas such as turnovers gained (from 14 to 20) and sacks (from 14 to 24).
Elko joined Notre Dame’s staff in December 2016 after three seasons as defensive coordinator at Wake Forest.
“Notre Dame simply attracts people at the top of their profession,” Kelly said, “and with a young and talented football team coming back in 2018, we’ll certainly add our next great defensive coordinator in very short order.”
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