Followed Jimbo Fisher. Mike Elko held Texas A&M at Power Program II for 3 seasons.
Obviously hit a little bit of a rut there through the middle of the first quarter and into the second
Everybody wants these things to go perfect and they won’t
At times, inconsistent, at times, really good
Some of it was just anxiety and nerves
They handled their business the way that they were supposed to
It’s a program that’s been built by blood and sweat of an awful lot of people for an awful lot of years
I show them our trophy case, and it’s empty
I’m not going to get into the Daymion Sanford injury. I know that’s the elephant in the room a little bit
Those balls were thrown into tight coverage, and he came down with contested catches over the DB
Isaiah understands what it takes to win, how to prepare and how to compete. He brings a veteran presence to our offense, but he’s also a playmaker
At some point, we’re going to have to have somebody who is capable of making rules regarding the betterment of college football
It’s a $1.2 billion industry with not a singular voice in charge and making decisions for the betterment of college football
That injury took a major toll on him
I just love Marcel Reed and I love what Mike Elko and what he has done at A&M
I want to thank coach Elko, coach Williams, and the entire Texas A&M staff for their belief in me and for making College Station feel like home
His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.
Reached Power Program in his 3rd career season — faster than 46% of the 395 FBS coaches who have ever reached Power Program (rank #194 of 395 by seasons-to-arrival).
Where each stint’s offense sat between run-first and pass-first, and how far it moved from one season to the next. The band is that stint’s real season-to-season range, not a fixed-width box.
Season-to-season pass-rate range for all 258 FBS coaching stints with at least three covered seasons, 2014–2025.
How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.
1–3 against his rivals.
A statistical estimate of this coach’s contribution to team performance, separated from that season’s roster talent, returning production, and his coordinators — pooled across his whole head-coaching career.
Model fit as of 2026-09-04.
Fan claims · every quote verified verbatim
This team is the exact opposite of what you would expect. Elko led defense and a loaded RB room, but can’t run and the defense sucks.
Based on 1 comment from 1 poster across 1 thread · Sep 6, 2025 · via CFB
5th-best Texas A&M tenure of 19 by the numbers.
Performs about as expected for his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.
Followed Jimbo Fisher (2018–2023).
| Season | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||
| Record | 8–5 | 11–2 | 0–0 | |
| Postseason | L bowl | CFP loss | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #19 | #9 | #10 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||
| Pass rate | 40.9 | 45.2 | 43.4 | |
| Coordinators | ||||
| OC | Collin Klein / Holmon Wiggins | Collin Klein / Holmon Wiggins | Holmon Wiggins | |
| DC | Jay Bateman / Jordan Peterson | Jay Bateman / Jordan Peterson | Elijah Robinson / Lyle Hemphill | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||
| Offense | 50 | 75 | 53 | |
| Defense | 64 | 72 | 89 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script (2021+ only) | ||||
| 1st-down pass% | 40.6 | 45.0 | 32.0 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 30.1 | 38.3 | 40.0 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 26.1 | 34.4 | — | |
A portal-built roster.
Brings in bigger-than-position-typical players than most.
Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.
17 NFL Draft picks: Edgerrin Cooper (2024), McKinnley Jackson (2024), Layden Robinson (2024), Ainias Smith (2024), Shemar Stewart (2025), Nic Scourton (2025), Shemar Turner (2025), KC Concepcion (2026) + 9 more
2 player-seasons honored (All-America / national award): KC Concepcion (2025), Cashius Howell (2025)
6th-best Duke tenure of 15 by the numbers.
Performs about as expected for his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.
Followed David Cutcliffe (2008–2021) · succeeded by Manny Diaz (2024–2026).
| Season | 2022 | 2023 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||
| Record | 9–4 | 1–0 | |
| Postseason | W bowl | W bowl | |
| Recruiting rank | #52 | #56 | |
| Style — pass rate | |||
| Pass rate | 45.2 | 44.3 | |
| Coordinators | |||
| OC | Kevin Johns | Kevin Johns | |
| DC | Robb Smith | Lyle Hemphill / Tyler Santucci | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||
| Offense | 72 | 48 | |
| Defense | 55 | 55 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script (2021+ only) | |||
| 1st-down pass% | 49.0 | 46.0 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 32.6 | 27.7 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 46.9 | 29.7 | |
Barely touches the portal — recruits and develops his own.
Brings in bigger-than-position-typical players than most.
Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.
3 NFL Draft picks: Graham Barton (2024), DeWayne Carter (2024), Jacob Monk (2024)
Defensive coordinator across 3 programs, 3 stints, before and after wearing the head-coach hat — every season measured on the same axis, whether he personally ran the unit or someone else did.