ACC Football: 5 incredibly early bold predictions for the 2023 season
By John Buhler
2. Mike Elko will be on the shortlist for major Power Five gigs outside of Duke
This comes as quite the shock, I know. What if I told you Duke, of all places, found itself a rockstar head coach? We knew that Mike Elko was a tremendous defensive coordinator at Texas A&M, but he might have actually been the straw that stirred the drink in College Station. Just look at his Blue Devils, and then look at Jimbo Fisher’s Aggies… Don’t tell me you don’t believe in correlations, man!
I don’t know if Duke is winning nine games again, it wouldn’t shock me if Elko is getting a most sacred Mayo bath in Charlotte for all of the sickos out there to see. It also wouldn’t shock me if Elko’s name comes up for one of the few major Power Five openings across the country. The right job would have to present itself obviously, but he could replace Mark Stoops at Kentucky if he left.
While we all remember how his predecessor David Cutcliffe made Duke football interesting in the 2010s, there is a chance Elko could be like Steve Spurrier. I’m not saying he’ll have the sayings of the Head Ball Coach, but at 45-years-old, Elko could be destined for something far greater than Durham, North Carolina. His first year at Duke was a stupendous success, so I expect great things.
Elko may not leave after year two, but come year three, he could be on everyone’s hiring wishlist.