Sep 4, 2021; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher and defensive coordinator Mike Elko prior to the game against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Many of the final dominoes are falling to place around the many Power 5 head coaching vacancies around the country. And while a few dominoes are left to fall, we got a lot of clarity about the future of the ACC on Friday.

First, it was officially announced that Tony Elliott would be the new head coach for the Virginia Cavaliers. Then, Duke announced that it had hired Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko as its new head coach.

Elko had been said to be a finalist, alongside Elliott, with the possibility that former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett could be an unconventional pick as well. And although one ESPN person called Garrett a “frontrunner” on Friday, the role eventually went to Elko, who has extensive experience in college football and, specifically, the ACC.

The 44-year-old began his coaching career at Stony Brook before he took a brief stint at his alma mater, Penn. He worked his way up to Fordham, Richmond, Hofstra, Bowling Green, Wake Forest, and eventually Notre Dame before taking the Texas A&M job in 2018.

The 2016 Wake Forest defense was one of his best, ranking in the FBS top 20 for defensive touchdowns scored, turnovers, red zone defense, sacks, and scoring defense. This past season’s Aggie defense was the No. 3 scoring defense in the nation while the 2020 defense was the SEC’s top total defense. He’s also been part of a Texas A&M coaching staff that was among the top recruiters in the nation.

While Elliott may have been Duke’s top pick, they still seemed pretty high on Elko, and so did a lot of people chiming in on social media to discuss the move.

We’ll see if Elko can live up to the standard that his predecessor, David Cutcliffe, put in place for 14 seasons. But so long as he does better than Ted Roof, Duke fans should be happy.

[Pete Thamel]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.