Last night, the Texas A&M football program found their new guy to coach the Aggies after firing Jimbo Fisher a couple of weeks ago.
Rumors started swirling that Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops was in line to take the job, but he quickly put that conversation to bed with a midnight tweet… he’s staying in Kentucky.
“I know there’s been much speculation about me and my job situation the last couple of days. It’s true I was contacted about a potential opportunity this weekend, but after celebrating a big win against our rivals with players I love like family, I knew in my heart I couldn’t leave the University of Kentucky right now.
I have a great job at a place I love, and I get to work with the best administration and greatest fan base in college football right where I’m at. I’m excited to say I’m a Wildcat!”
I know there’s been much speculation about me and my job situation the last couple of days. It’s true I was contacted about a potential opportunity this weekend, but after celebrating a big win against our rivals with players I love like family, I knew in my heart I couldn’t…
— Mark Stoops (@UKCoachStoops) November 26, 2023
And then Mike Elko, the former head coach of the Duke Blue Devils, arrived in College Station, Texas.
Mike Elko has arrived in College Station. pic.twitter.com/4KV1Py0Dp8
— Carter Karels (@CarterKarels) November 27, 2023
Needless to say, the decision was a head scratcher for college football enthusiasts across the country, as it was sincerely believed that the Aggies were closing on a deal with Stoops.
However, in a complete turn of events, A&M went with Elko.
Don’t get me wrong, Elko was able to find a way to win at Duke in only two seasons, going 9-4 and 7-5 during his time in Durham, which is pretty difficult to do considering the lack of resources the school has for football. Not to mention, Duke has historically been one of the worst football programs in the ACC.
But, most college football fans were expecting the Aggies to hire someone who has had a long line of success as a head coach, and needless to say, Elko doesn’t necessarily fit that mold.
Elko was previously the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M from 2018 to 2021, so maybe A&M liked the fact he had previous ties to the school. However, Elko hasn’t been a head coach long enough to win with his own recruiting class, and it’s still uncertain just how good of a coach he can be in College Station.
Not to mention, the guy only beat one team with less than four losses during his two seasons at Duke.
And boy, Aggies fans had a field day with this decision…
BJORK: It's Mike Stoops :)
TEXAS AGGIE CULT: The FUCK?! It'd better NOT be Stoops! 😡
BJORK: My bad I meant to say Mike ELKO 😅👍🏈
TEXAS AGGIE CULT: pic.twitter.com/JVjz9Wv50m
— Trey Felder (@TbirdTr3y_10) November 27, 2023
Mike Elko pulled a Baltimore Colts on Duke University. It’s a business, and I usually don’t say much on how people handle themselves, but considering his verbiage over the last two years about how much he loves Duke, this is an extremely low move. Unfortunate to see. https://t.co/CV9CnQD5Ka
— Rick Heidrick (@rheidrick24) November 27, 2023
revolting over mark stoops to celebrate hiring mike elko is one of the funniest moves of all time. you just took the less experienced, more unproven version of the guy you got cold feet about.
texas a&m is such a funny program.
— Kyron Samuels (@kyronsamuels) November 26, 2023
Mike Elko didn’t build anything at Duke… nothing he’s done has been around long enough to stick. He used players for 2 years to get a better job all while saying he loved Durham. I get it’s a business but geez… I’m not praising a guy who didn’t make it two seasons…
— Nick (@tha1guynick) November 26, 2023
TAMU Boosters patiently waiting to see how Twitter/X responds to the hiring Mike Elko pic.twitter.com/5815BojaI2
— Tattoo Baker 🎥✨ (@QB1TATT00) November 26, 2023
So, at Texas A&M …
Mike Elko is fine
Lance Leipold is fine
Jonathan Smith would have been fine
Chris Kleiman is fine
Jeff Traylor is fineBut Mark Stoops ISN'T FINE???
Make it make sense.
— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) November 26, 2023
Mike Elko day’s ago:
"We’re probably about 13 days away from complete anarchy and the Wild West. It’s literally open free agency for all of college football…
Care to talk about the same open free agency for Coaches? 🤔 https://t.co/G6R3WZI79p
— Coach Dancy Fade Burner Account (@CoachDancyFade) November 27, 2023
Really thought Mike Elko was a class act. Can’t even tell your players that you’re leaving face to face, leave town in the middle of the night. Hope the money is worth it.
— Justin Walker (@J_Walk_AT) November 27, 2023
Mike Elko after telling Duke fans he was committed to Duke. https://t.co/Uf0e7hlqSh pic.twitter.com/eklnmm6pwB
— Benjamin Wetherby (@Ben_Wetherby) November 27, 2023
Mike Elko beat 1 team total at Duke that had less than 4 losses. Only 5/16 wins came against P5 teams with a winning record.
His resume is an absolute joke at Duke. https://t.co/1Xz47BoSJK
— Aggie Mediocrity (@AggieMediocrity) November 27, 2023
Fuck Mike Elko. Fuck Texas A&M.
— Noah Lunsford #ddmf (@noahlunsford6) November 27, 2023
Agree with this
We can’t shit on players when coaches have started going about their business this way
Lincoln Riley, Brian Kelly, now Mike Elko
You owe it to these communities, players, parents, and schools to transition out with some dignity. Not like a thief in the night https://t.co/bL6Su77qtJ
— #24 Clemson Addict (8-4) (@Clemson_Addict) November 27, 2023
