Mike Elko shares what makes Kyle Field a unique atmosphere
Mike Elko is going to have to wait an entire offseason to take in the atmosphere inside Kyle Field — something he hasn’t been able to experience since the end of Texas A&M‘s 2021 season.
He’s certainly looking forward to taking the field in front of the 12th Man next season and took a second to reminisce on past experiences inside the stadium and what he’s looking forward to when opening the season on Aug. 31 against Notre Dame.
“Playing inside Kyle Field is one of the most unique atmospheres in the country,” Elko said during his introductory press conference. “And when that place gets rocking, there’s nothing like it. And what makes it even more unique is it’s rocking every single Saturday. You saw that this year. Regardless of the record and how things are going, the 12th Man shows up and they show up and support.
“So when you have that, that makes it really special. And then I got a chance to talk a lot about it. But the community here is really unique. And the way they welcomed my family the last time we were here, my wife, my kids, they all have a lot of connections in this community that we’ve stayed close with even in the two years that we were away. And so in a lot of ways, it feels like you’re coming home. It really does.”
Before becoming head coach at Duke, Elko was on hand for some of the most raucous atmospheres during the Jimbo Fisher era. From 2018-2021, Elko was the defensive coordinator for the Aggies’ most successful stint under Fisher which included two eight-win seasons, and two nine-win seasons including one year that saw Texas A&M finish No. 5 in the final College Football Playoff rankings.
The Aggies’ success dropped off following Elko’s move to become the head coach at Duke. Whether his departure directly impacted Texas A&M’s lack of success over the past two years is up for debate, but most will agree that he was the right man for the job based on the candidates that were on the table for them.
Elko was the eventual hire over the likes of Kentucky‘s Mark Stoops, Kansas‘ Lance Leipold, and UTSA’s Jeff Traylor, among others, were all heavily considered alongside Elko. Stoops was even reportedly set to accept to Aggies’ job before a seemingly last-minute collapse in negotiations. That set Elko up perfectly to swoop in for a triumphant return to College Station.
The expectations for Elko are clear based on the details of his contract. Texas A&M fixed multiple incentive-based payouts that include win totals, SEC titles, CFP berths and more on top of his $7 million base salary. Making a couple of extra million dollars should be enough motivation for Elko to hit the ground running in College Station.