Michael Elko is an American football head coach who signed a six-year contract with the Texas A&M Aggies and was the defensive coordinator for the program from 2018 to 2021. Born on July 28, 1977, Elko played college football at the University of Pennsylvania where he played as a safety for the Penn Quakers and led the program to the 1998 Ivy League championship.
Elko began his early coaching career in 1999 as a graduate assistant at Stony Brook before coaching under Dave Clawson for 12-long seasons. He worked two seasons at both Fordham and Richmond before spending five seasons at Bowling Green from 2009 to 2013. During this period, he coached linebackers from 2009 to 2011 and was a safety coach for the next two subsequent years. After four seasons at Bowling Green, he transferred to Wake Forest along with Clawson where he was named the defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Elko also enjoyed a brief spell with Notre Dame before arriving at College Station as the defensive coordinator under Jimbo Fisher in 2018. He signed a three-year contract with Texas A&M which earned him an average of $1.8 million per year. But after three seasons, Elko earned his first head coaching role at Duke where he guided the program to back-to-back games during the 2023-24 season. In his first season with the Blue Devils, Elko was named the 2022 ACC Coach of the Year as Duke went 9-4 with a victory in the Military Bowl.
One of the best defensive minds in the country, Elko decided to join Texas A&M after two seasons with the Duke Blue Devils. Elko has secured highly-rated prep recruits in the transfer portal.
What is Mike Elko's salary at Penn State?
According to USA Today, Mike Elko, head coach of Texas A&M Aggies football, will earn a base salary of $7 million per year. That number is expected to increase by $100,000 if he’s named National Coach of the Year and $50,000 if he’s named SEC Coach of the Year.
Mike Elko Contract Details
According to the Texas A&M official X page, Mike Elko has signed a six-year contract worth $42 million with the Aggies until the 2030 season. The college reportedly added a $5 million buyout fee for the New Jersey native.
In his previous contract with Arizona, Elko was expected to earn $3.5 million for the Duke Blue Devils in the 2024-25 campaign.
Mike Elko's Performance-based Incentives
Elko has performance-based incentives and is expected to earn upto $3.8 million in bonuses annually. If Elko manages to accomplish any of the postseason incentives, one year will be added to his contract, as per the Texas A&M official X page.
Post-Season Incentives:
Make the College Football Playoff: $1,000,000
Advance to the Quarter Final of the CFB Playoff: $1,500,000
Advance to the Semi Final of the CFB Playoff: $2,000,000
Play in the CFB National Championship Game: $2,500,000
Win the CFB National Championship: $3,500,000
Other Incentives:
SEC Championship Game appearance: $100,000
National Coach of the Year: $100,000
SEC Coach of the Year: $50,000
Maintain a multi-year APR of 960 or above: $50,000
FAQs on Mike Elko
A. Mike Elko's annual salary at Texas A&M University is $7 million as of October 2024.
A. Mike Elko signed a six-year contract with the Texas A&M Aggies back in November 2023.
A. Mike Elko played college football as a safety for the Penn Quakers.
A. Mike Elko was making $3.5 million a year at the Duke University.
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