Mike Elko jokingly knocks on wood when discussing job security in the SEC

Four SEC coaches have already been fired by the start of November. That’s why Mike Elko is looking to avoid the jinx, even if sarcastically, in that he could even possibly be next on the hot seat.

During his press conference on Monday, Elko was asked about the firings around the conference, which led him to knock on the wood at the podium several times, causing a laugh from the media in attendance. He wanted to be certain that he wasn’t going to end up being the fifth one out of a job just this fall.

“Yeah, I think you’re giving a good platform for me to make a case for myself, so I’m going to do that right now,” joked Elko.

That said, Elko made great points as to why the trigger has been so quick on firings this season in the Southeastern Conference, with Arkansas’ Sam Pittman, Florida’s Billy Napier, LSU’s Brian Kelly, and Auburn’s Hugh Freeze all being removed midseason. Napier, Kelly, and Freeze have all happened in consecutive weekends, with the most recent one coming from down on The Plains on Sunday. That being the case, Elko thinks it’s a result of expectations still being off from those outside the sport to those in it, with it being almost impossible for programs and coaches to consistently meet what the fans still see as valid expectations in this modern era of college football.

“I think – this is what I’ve said a lot about this, and I really, truly believe this. I think people are having a really hard time adjusting to what is becoming a new era of college football,” stated Elko. “Like, if you look at the SEC? I was just reading some of these stats. I think I read somewhere that there’s been like 27 one-score games in the SEC this year – more than we’ve had in a really long time. I think there were six games last week? Five of them came down to one-score games. The parity in this conference is at an all-time high. And so, when you look at it week in and week out, I think people are still looking for the days when the best team went out and won by 40 every week, and, you know, 12-0, 11-1 were kind of the standard of what was good. I think a lot of us as coaches have continued to try to preach, like, it’s not the same feeling anymore. It doesn’t feel like that’s what’s really good. What’s really good is finding a way to win enough games to get yourself into the playoff where you have a chance to go make a run at this thing. And, I think, you know – I just think that’s how modern college football is.”

“Much like you see in the NFL happen, you see more spikes and swings, you know. A team makes the Super Bowl, maybe doesn’t make the playoffs the next year, bounces back and goes to the Super Bowl the next year. Like, you see that consistently at times in the NFL because of the parity, because of how hard it is to win,” Elko continued. “That’s what’s creeping into college football, and I’m not sure that everyone – from a fanbase, from a supporter – has identified that. And so, that’s my opportunity to maybe preach.”

Elko will not be the next coach to be fired whatsoever, as the Aggies’ head coach is 16-5 (.762) so far in his tenure in College Station, currently about to make the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff this season, and 32-14 (.696) overall the last four seasons so far at Duke and Texas A&M. Still, considering the question, he just wanted to be sure with a superstitious knock on the stand.