A hot coaching name already, Elko insists Duke is where he wants to be

By Brian Murphy, WRAL

Charlotte, N.C. — Duke coach Mike Elko engineered a turnaround from three wins to nine wins and a bowl game in his first season in Durham.

It was enough to earn him ACC Coach of the Year honors — and a place on nearly everybody's list of coaching candidates to watch. When Northwestern unexpectedly fired its coach, the 45-year-old Elko was mentioned prominently, especially if he can maintain success in Durham.

But Elko, who coached at Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Wake Forest among previous stops, insists Duke is where he wants to be.

"Nobody wants to listen, but I chose Duke for a reason," Elko said Wednesday at the annual ACC Kickoff in Charlotte. "I think I connect really well with the university, with a message, with what we stand for and what our program is all about. And so my family's really happy there. We're really happy there."

Duke announced a contract extension for Elko through the 2029 season last week. The new deal includes additional money for assistant coaches and support staff.

"There's no reason why we can't invest resources into our football program and be successful there, too," Elko said. "That's something that our athletic department has made a huge commitment to."

Duke had its best season since 2014, sparked by the emergence of first-year starting quarterback Riley Leonard and a defense that produced the nation's No. 2 turnover margin. The Blue Devils dramatically improved on offense and defense in going from 0-8 in the league to 5-3 in ACC games.

The Blue Devils open the 2023 season with a nationally televised home game against Clemson.

"It shows commitment on both sides," Elko said of the extension. "And I think it was a huge step for us."