Mike Elko aims to fulfill Texas A&M's potential as top program - ESPN

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Mike Elko was introduced as Texas A&M's new head coach on Monday, telling a group of fans gathered inside Kyle Field that he is ready for the big expectations facing him.

«We are going to build the premier football program in the country,» Elko said. «We are not going to talk about it anymore. We are going to be about it.»

Elko, 46, spent four years in College Station under Jimbo Fisher from 2018-2021 before leaving for his first head coaching opportunity at Duke, where he went 16-9 over the past two seasons and was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 2022.

Following Fisher's dismissal on Nov. 12, Elko became a prime candidate to return to A&M, ultimately agreeing on a six-year contract that has a base salary of $7 million per year but with several College Football Playoff incentives: $1 million for a CFP appearance; $1.5 million for advancing to the CFP quarterfinals or winning the SEC; $2 million for a CFP semifinal appearance; $2.5 million for the CFP title game; $3.5 million for a national title. The contract includes an $11 million salary pool for assistants and support staff, which Bjork called «reasonable but competitive,» estimating it was in the top 10 nationally.

The contract still needs to be approved at a Nov. 30 meeting of the board of regents, but marks a departure from Fisher's fully guaranteed contract that paid $9.5 million annually. In this case, if Elko led the Aggies to a national title, he'd make $10.5 million and any postseason incentive adds an additional year to his contract.

«We wanted to be fair in the market,» Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork said. «But we also wanted to say, hey, look, I think the landscape can change where you actually have to earn things. If