Developing a Championship Defense

Veteran defensive coach Mike Elko is in his second season overseeing the Wrecking Crew as defensive coordinator. Elko, one of a select group of defensive coordinators nationally that has overseen a top 50 defense the past seven seasons, came to Texas A&M after one season of directing Notre Dame's defense. In his lone season in South Bend, the Irish's defense ranked in the top half nationally in all four major defensive categories as the Irish finished with a 10-3 record, which included a 21-17 win over LSU in the 2018 Citrus Bowl. Elko was a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, which is given annually to the top assistant coach in college football. Elko arrived at Notre Dame following three seasons as the defensive coordinator/safeties coach at Wake Forest from 2014-16.