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Report: Duke is expected to hire Big 10 coordinator to lead defense

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh12/20/21griffin_mcveigh
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New Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Elko being introduced as a basketball game. (Lance King/Getty Images)

According to Pete Thamel of Yahoo, the Duke Blue Devils are set to hire Rutgers defensive coordinator Robb Smith to the same position. He will be reuniting with head coach Mike Elko after the two worked together at Texas A&M during the 2020 season.

Smith is leaving Rutgers for the second time in his career. He was on staff with the Scarlet Knights from 2009-2012, being the defensive coordinator during his final season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired him as a linebackers coach for one season before he returned to the college ranks.

Arkansas was the stop for Smith for three seasons before PJ Fleck hired him at Minnesota to his initial staff. He was then dismissed from duties by the Golden Gophers where College Station was a one-year stop as a defensive analyst.

Now, Duke will be the next stop with Elko. Smith will be taking over one of the worst FBS defenses in the country, regardless of Power Five or Group of Five status. The Blue Devils ranked 127th out of 130 in scoring defense last season and gave up over 500 yards per game.

Elko named Duke Blue Devils head coach

The Duke Blue Devils turned to the SEC to hire their head coach after agreeing to move on with David Cutcliffe. Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko will be next up, hoping to rebuild the struggling program.

Elko has been a defensive coordinator for seven programs, with Bowling Green being the first at the FBS level in 2009. Since then, he has been at Wake Forest, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M.

Head coach Jimbo Fisher pulled Elko away from South Bend when he was hired in 2018 and let him retool the Aggie defense. His unit was one of the best in the country this season, finishing third in scoring defense with 15.9 points given up per game.

Elko has been behind the No. 1 recruiting class in the country as well, helping pull in five defensive players from the top 100 on the On3 Consensus. He will now have five days to help build the Duke class up, which currently ranked No. 56 according to On3.

Former New York Giants offensive coordinator and Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett was believed to be another candidate for the job. ESPN’s Suzy Kolber reported Friday that Garrett is the “frontrunner” for Duke’s open head coach position.

In the end, Elko ended up being the choice for the Blue Devils.