Mike Elko - Defensive Coordinator

[benneboy]

welp...not shocked. Looks like the Aggies are serious about being more than middlin in the SEC. Never thought the issue there was necessarily coaches, but can't hurt to get the best. I'm guessing he was offered the assistant HC and DC jobs with the idea he'd be coach in waiting like Jimbo was at FSU...who knows though.

Lol. Pretty tough sell that you're the coach in waiting when the head coach just signed a 10 year contract.

 

[BoredIrish]

Meanwhile Urban just signed Grinch to be a 10th assistant at OSU.

Anyone know how much they are paying him?

 

[CraigKrenzel]

Derrik Allen's response to Kelly's statement:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Part of the buisness. Sign to a place cause of their cultures and beliefs not because of a coach &#55358;&#56600;✊️ <a href="https://t.co/XgCNdNfQTQ">https://t.co/XgCNdNfQTQ</a></p>— Derrik Allen (@DsmoothAllen) <a href="https://twitter.com/DsmoothAllen/status/949017988975521793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[IrishFanJMercy]

Manny Diaz? He wouldn't leave miami tho

 

[greyhammer90]

If ND wants to win championships, that's what they have to do. If they don't, then fine but then stop kidding us that you still take football seriously... then we can all stop showing up and watching, and over the next couple decade we can watch ND's academic reputation likewise disappear as people lose interest in a small, Midwest parochial school.

I'm glad someone who actually went to ND said it, because I'm thinking the same thing but don't want to step on alumni toes. ND goes as the football program goes. And if the BoT thinks that spending a few million more (after spending literally over a billion in the last three years) on excellent, motivated staff is going to destroy the culture of ND then they are either being foolish or attempting to dishonestly justify their actions behind a facade that the old guard finds appealing.

If there was a soul to sell about this kind of thing, ND already did it many years ago when they made (and sold) their campus as the college football disney world in the 1980s.

 

[Irish YJ]

Excellent post. You can't give a guy who has been at the university for 1 year whatever pay he wants, way above market value. Again I put this more on the type of person and character of Mike Elko. Breaking a contract after 1 year for money.

Sherm, sure you can pay him. TAMU is showing how serious they are about winning. They are putting their money where their mouth is. And is it really above market value now? No, it's the new market. ND can afford it. Coaching at ND is hard. A lot harder than other schools. Why does a coach not deserve more to coach at a place that requires more effort, higher charaacter, etc..

And questioning the type of person Elko is? Did he come here for love of ND? No, he came for career improvement and more money. Same reason why he's going to TAMU. He's making the right decision for his career and family. As far as I know, he never promised to stay XX years, he didn't lie. Coaching at this level is a job. It's business when a university fire some one, but it isn't business when a coach leaves for more money? Sure it would be great to find someone that sees ND as their dream job, but those will be extremely rare.

ND needs to pay up or shut up.

 

[phgreek]

They're apparently unwilling to spend enough to keep the football program competitive, and they're also unwilling to actually be a Catholic university. So what are we trying to be now? A Midwestern Ivy?

Let's just go ahead and sell out everything that makes ND distinctive. What could possibly go wrong?

...legit concerns. I don't know...but I don't think I can mix my misery right now...can only deal with the latest football ouch...

 

[greyhammer90]

Derrik Allen's response to Kelly's statement:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Part of the buisness. Sign to a place cause of their cultures and beliefs not because of a coach ��✊️ <a href="https://t.co/XgCNdNfQTQ">https://t.co/XgCNdNfQTQ</a></p>— Derrik Allen (@DsmoothAllen) <a href="https://twitter.com/DsmoothAllen/status/949017988975521793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Is this kid the best or what?

 

[NDRock]

Two words to fix this mess.

Greg Schiano.







Too soon?

 

[koonja]

Bo Pelini?

 

[IrishLion]

Is this kid the best or what?

Can he play AND coordinate a defense?

Love a good player-coach combo.

 

[ab2cmiller]

Maybe the next DC hire should be done following Mike Gundy's approach that he used to hire some obscure OC from a Div II program.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Why would Elko turn down $2.5m to stay at ND? He had no previous connection to the university. He took the job because ND was a big step up in prestige and pay from Wake Forest. aTm isn't more prestigious (though that gap has narrowed a lot more than any of us would like to admit), but they offered him a lot more money. Life-changing money. How could we expect him to turn that down?

aTm just did to ND what ND has been doing to other programs for the last 50-60 years. I'm not inclined to denounce Elko personally here. This is a turning point (buzz buzz!) for NDFB.

 

[ResLife Hero]

First off, I think it sucks losing Elko. The defense impressed this year, and I know he was a big part of that turnaround. I hate the Aggies, but if he's going to make 2.5M, I can't fault the man for setting up his family like that.

Second, his leaving and timing of departure suck for recruiting and could hurt the 2018 class in ways I don't really want to get wrapped up in right now. We'll need another dog on the recruiting trail for sure.

BUT

Of all the defensive position groups, safeties looked the worst and didn't seem to progress much during camp and the season. IIRC, that was Elko's group to mold. DLine and LB made strides, and even the corners flashed, but almost no production from the safeties.

Also, after the BVG fiasco years, is there a chance that what we saw in 2017 was a return to "normal" rather than a DC dragging guys to greatness? Hard to say after 1 year. Would have loved to see year 2, but no dice.

Just a couple thoughts I'm entertaining to avoid going down the road of "we're completely fucked".

 

[benneboy]

Hard no on Diaz.

As in do not want

 

[BoredIrish]

Bo Pelini?

First name I thought of. I thought they would look at him last year. His brother and some other assistants left this year as well... so that may be more motivation to leave.

Having said that, he had even more bad press this year... so I'm not sure if the admin would sign off on it.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

How would our players "measurements" fit into Diaco's "scheme".

No italics. (ok, maybe a little italics)

 

[MNIrishman]

Time to pay $20M to steal Don Brown from UM.

 

[GrangerIrish24]

So who’s next? Lea, Elston?

 

[Rudy89]

Wel that ruined a great week to be an Irish fan....law of averages with ND.

 

[KyfightingIrish36]

I say Clark Lea.

 

[CraigKrenzel]

...

Also, after the BVG fiasco years, is there a chance that what we saw in 2017 was a return to "normal" rather than a DC dragging guys to greatness? Hard to say after 1 year. Would have loved to see year 2, but no dice.

...

That was my first thought after the initial panic subsided. Hope this is closer to the truth.

 

[phgreek]

Lol. Pretty tough sell that you're the coach in waiting when the head coach just signed a 10 year contract.

Yes and no...as many have said on here...its hard to find a path to a HC job as a DC. I don't think Jimbo has more than 5 in him at this stop...so as a DC, would that help you pull the trigger...I'm just speculating...but that would be a career move not a simple lateral for more money...

 

[BoredIrish]

I say Clark Lea.

Not me.

Although today's development might prove otherwise, but this is ND. Whoever it is must have proven experience as a DC.

 

[ThePiombino]

BK passed on Elston last year... so clearly BK agrees with you to a certain extent.

My guess is the admin would not have signed off on a hire from within.

 

[Henges24]

Brady Hoke?

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Why would Elko turn down $2.5m to stay at ND? He had no previous connection to the university. He took the job because ND was a big step up in prestige and pay from Wake Forest. aTm isn't more prestigious (though that gap has narrowed a lot more than any of us would like to admit), but they offered him a lot more money. Life-changing money. How could we expect him to turn that down?

aTm just did to ND what ND has been doing to other programs for the last 50-60 years. I'm not inclined to denounce Elko personally here. This is a turning point (buzz buzz!) for NDFB.

So that's it. Life is all about money...My next job will be because of big money increase. I guess I'm just moron. Loyalty...psssst that's for idiots like me.

 

[P_Rose]

Would Lea follow Elko to aTm?

 

[gkIrish]

The bottom line is that the only way ND is going to be competitive to the degree fans want is to do what A&M is doing right now.

A&M fucked up with Sumlin, and rather than accepting it and hiring an "up and comer" they went out and spent insane amounts of money on a HC with a title and then EVEN MORE MONEY to hand pick a DC.

If ND wants to win championships, that's what they have to do. If they don't, then fine but then stop kidding us that you still take football seriously... then we can all stop showing up and watching, and over the next couple decade we can watch ND's academic reputation likewise disappear as people lose interest in a small, Midwest parochial school.

To predict ND's academic downfall because we didn't retain Mike Elko is a bit of a stretch....

Our academic reputation has gone nowhere but up in the last 20 years (without looking at any data) and our football program has never been through a worse two decades...

 

[ThePiombino]

Our best hope now may be to simply promote Lea since he's so familiar with Elko's system, and hope he turns out to be a diamond in the rough.

Yup, but again -- is ND a place where you want to offer OTJ training?