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Michigan State football: 5 realistic outside head coaching candidates if Mel Tucker is fired

By Connor Muldowney

Sep 9, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Elko looks on before the game against the Lafayette Leopards at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 9, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Elko looks on before the game against the Lafayette Leopards at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 9, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Elko looks on against the Lafayette Leopards during the second half at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 9, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Elko looks on against the Lafayette Leopards during the second half at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /

It’s not easy to win football games at Duke — just ask David Cutcliffe. The football program has always taken a back seat to the basketball program in Durham but Mike Elko is changing that.

Elko was hired away from Texas A&M where he spent four years as defensive coordinator following just one season as Brian Kelly’s defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. He was one of the hottest assistants on the market and Duke jumped at the opportunity to hire him in 2022 and he saw immediate success with the Blue Devils.

In fact, the Blue Devils’ turnaround took basically no time thanks to Elko as he led them to a 9-4 record with a Military Bowl win in his first season as head coach.

While his first recruiting class ranked close to 70th, he has the No. 40 class so far for 2024, and as long as he keeps winning in Durham, it’s only going to improve.

Elko is a winner and he’s off to a hot start in 2023 with a blowout upset win over No. 9 Clemson in the opener which was good enough to vault the Blue Devils into the AP Top 25.

A lot of fans would be thrilled with the hire of this 46-year-old second-year head coach.

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