Mike Elko

“It certainly was a challenge staying on top of your books and staying on top of your school,” he recalled. “Especially for a kid who was probably more of a gym rat than a scholar.”

Though the business school was not for him, coaching at the school known for the Wrecking Crew and 12th Man was a perfect match. In a very similar fashion to his student-athlete career, Elko worked his way up to that first opportunity in Aggieland.

His early stops as a coach included Stony Brook and a grad assistant role back at Penn. Then came a position that might make some pause when reading through his bio. In 2001, Elko became the defensive coordinator at the United States Merchant Marines Academy (USMMA).

“It is the first place my wife moved to with me,” Elko said. “That was her first experience of coaching.”

Michelle Elko is also a Penn graduate. The couple met there when she was a freshman.

Michelle worked as a pediatric nurse while Mike was leading the USMMA defense. She was every bit as busy as her husband in those days.

“I did not see him a whole lot,” Michelle said. “He was working 12-hour days coaching, and I was working 12-hour nights as a nurse. We were like two ships passing in the night.”

The academy, located on Long Island, was indeed a long way from a place like Texas A&M.

“I was the breadwinner,” Michelle said with a laugh. “I told the kids, 'Mom is making the money!'”

Their whirlwind together in the college football world had begun. For Mike, learning and earning his way up was still the mode of operation.

“I was thrust into that role at such a young age,” he said. “I probably did not completely know what I was doing, but I tried to give those kids the very best I could.”

Over the next seven years, Elko's coaching career included roles at Fordham, Richmond and Hofstra — all FCS schools. At that level, Elko notes that there is not always the big-time player who can erase a talent gap or scheme problem by getting 15 tackles a game. It is even more important to put players in the right position as a coach.

“It challenges your ability to think,” Elko said. “When you coach at a place like that, the puzzle is a little more challenging to solve. I think it makes you look at the game a little bit differently.”

What Elko picked up then, certainly helps him now.

“Coming up the way I did, I think I have learned how to maximize people,” Elko said. “When you get up to the SEC at a place like Texas A&M, and you are dealing with kids who are supremely gifted, they can make things happen. You are coaching them through the finer points of it. Having the mindset of 'how do I maximize him' creates what we were able to create on defense the last time I was here.”

Before becoming defensive coordinator at A&M in 2018, Elko served in the same role for one season at Notre Dame. His time with the Aggies and the Fighting Irish are what he calls his introduction to “elite level” college football.

During his four seasons as a coordinator, the Aggies never finished outside the top 35 nationally in total defense. In 2021, A&M ranked No. 14 in total defense and third in scoring defense. That success led him to his first head coaching position at Duke University.

In Durham, North Carolina, Elko inherited a program that went 5-18 in the two seasons prior to his arrival. The Blue Devils improved to 16-9 in Elko's two years as head coach.

Just like he has done during his entire football career, Elko earned his next opportunity — this time to lead the A&M program.

“When you are afar and you do not grow up in Texas, what you see is this big-time football program that has had success over the years and obviously has this tremendous fan base,” he said. “What you do not know until you get here is what the true passion is really like and what the tradition is really like.”

One of his earliest Aggie lessons came during his first year on campus in 2018.

“I can still remember to this day walking out to my first Midnight Yell the night before we played Clemson,” Elko said. “I was in complete amazement of what was happening in that stadium.”

Now back in Aggieland as head coach, he understands Texas A&M.

“It is the people that have an undying loyalty to this place,” he said.

Throughout their experiences in college football, the Elkos have always put family first and remained focused on the main things.

“People that know me know I only do two things — football and family,” Elko said. “I think I have maybe had one two-day guy trip in my whole life.”

Michelle confirms that is who her husband is.

“He is the same guy I met at Penn,” she said. “Neither of us came from much, and we do not forget that. We are still a sweatpants and hoodie family.”

The Elkos may have come from humble beginnings, but as two Ivy League graduates, they have achieved considerable success. The couple's return to Aggieland fills them with excitement, as their initial experience at A&M left a profound impact on their lives.

“We love all of it,” Michelle said. “From Midnight Yell to gameday. Every game, I would tear up just overwhelmed that my husband was coaching at a place like this.”

Now in charge of more than just defense, Mike Elko is ready to build Texas A&M much like he built his own career.

“I think Aggie fans need to get excited that they are going to have a team that represents who they are and who they want to be,” Elko said. “We are going to be a blue-collar group. We are going to have tremendous work ethic, tremendous toughness and tremendous grit about how we play the game of football.”

At a university that is not afraid to roll up its sleeves, Elko's plan will fit well with the Aggie values and standards.

“We are going to have a lot of passion about how we represent this university,” he said. “They are going to see a team that is going to go out and maximize who they are. That is what this program will be about moving forward.”

Aggies may very well like the journey that Elko leads them on as head football coach. They can certainly appreciate the path he took to get here.

After all, he certainly earned it.