Mike Elko's No. 16 Texas A&M is 2-0 after dominating home wins over UTSA (44-24) on Aug. 30 and Utah State (44-22) on Saturday. This weekend, the Aggies will travel to South Bend to face No. 8 Notre Dame, where Elko once served as defensive coordinator in 2017 under then-head coach Brian Kelly.As he prepares for his first return to Notre Dame in eight years, Elko reflected on what makes the program special.“The thing I’ve always said to people about Notre Dame is you can just feel the history and tradition, from Touchdown Jesus to just the feel in and around the stadium," Elko said (via Blue & Gold). "You feel tradition, you feel history, you feel what that program has meant for so long to college football."And then obviously, they’ve done a really good job with some of the recent renovations to create the modern feel to it as well. And so it’s a cool place. I think it’s a really unique place. It’ll be a great atmosphere.”While aiming to guide Texas A&M to its sixth victory over a top-10 opponent since 2020, Elko kept his comments respectful toward his former school."I have a ton of respect for the program, the tradition, the history that is Notre Dame. Had a great year when I was there last time, and it’ll be exciting to go back for sure, but I don’t know that the nostalgia is going to be there.”Mike Elko reflects on the challenges of playing against Notre Dame Following an early bye week after its 27-24 season-opening loss to Miami on Aug. 31, Notre Dame is set to return to action Saturday as it looks to regroup for the 2025 season.In 2024, the Fighting Irish opened the season with a 23-13 road win over Texas A&M, which served as the foundation for their eventual run to the national championship game on Jan. 20.Notre Dame fell short in that title matchup with a 34-23 loss to Ohio State, but Mike Elko knows the significance of preparing for another tough challenge against Marcus Freeman’s squad.“It’d be naive to not think that our kids understand the magnitude of a top 10 matchup on the road, going to play a top 10 opponent on the road," Elko said (via Blue & Gold). "So from that perspective, obviously, this is a big opportunity."How big is it relative to this season? It’s as big as every game we play because win or lose, there’s going to be more to play. And regardless of outcome, the next one is going to be just as important, and so is the next one."The 2024 showdown between Notre Dame and Texas A&M was the first and only meeting between the two programs.