Report: Duke poaches Texas A&M coach as new defensive ends coach

With Texas A&M out of the Gator Bowl, defensive coordinator Mike Elko is now off to take over the Duke Blue Devils program. Elko is still in the process of filling out his staff and will once again be pulling from College Station.

According to Pete Thamel of Yahoo, Duke is going to be hiring Texas A&M analyst Harland Bower to coach defensive ends. He worked with Elko with both the Aggies and Notre Dame, both in off-the-field roles. Elsewhere, Bower had on the field with Central Arkansas and South Alabama.

Bower will now be having his first positional coach position within the Power Five.

Additionally, Elko will be bringing in East Carolina director of player personnel Derek Miller according to Thamel. He will serve as the recruiting general manager for the Blue Devils.

Duke Blue Devils expected to hire DC from Big Ten

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.