On the eve of the ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte, Duke University has announced it is extending the contract of head coach Mike Elko.
Elko earned ACC Coach of the Year honors a year ago in his Duke debut, guiding the Blue Devils to a nine-win season and 30-13 bowl victory over UCF. Preseason predictions had Duke finishing last in the ACC Coastal Division in 2022.
Nina King, Duke vice president and director of athletics, said in a release Monday that Elko’s contract had been “restructured and extended through the 2029 season … Included in the new agreement is an enhanced, escalating model for the assistant coach and support staff salary pools.”
The release did not release financial details of the contract. It has been estimated that Elko’s original deal with Duke was in the neighborhood of $3 million per year.
The Blue Devils won just three games in 2021, the season prior to Elko’s arrival, finishing winless in the ACC.
“Over the last 18 months, Coach Elko has cultivated and executed a plan to push Duke Football forward with tremendous attention to detail, energy and a persistent commitment to excellence,” King said. “His passionate dedication to the Duke experience sets the standard, and we are fortunate to have him and the entire staff developing the young men in our program into elite student-athletes and future community leaders. Coach Elko’s vision acutely aligns with the principles of the university, and I could not be more excited to have him guide Duke Football well into the future.”
The ACC Kickoff begins Tuesday in Charlotte, with Duke among the teams taking center stage during Wednesday’s festivities.
The Blue Devils open the regular season on Labor Day Night, Sept. 4, hosting defending ACC champion Clemson in front of a national ESPN audience. Duke will face a tough schedule in Elko’s second year, also playing Notre Dame, Florida State, Pittsburgh, Connecticut and its three in-state rivals North Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest among other foes.
After just one season at Duke, Elko’s name had already surfaced among Web site chatter for other jobs. His name was mentioned among the possible candidates for the Northwestern post, which opened up a few weeks ago. For now, Elko seems safe in Duke blue.
“Sincere thanks to Dr. (Vincent) Price and Nina (King) for their commitment not only to me but also the football staff and entire program we have here at Duke,” Elko said in a release. “This will enable us to continue to build elite opportunities for our young men to develop and succeed at one of the most prestigious universities in the country. We came here with a mission to create a program that could become the absolute Best of Both Worlds, and this is another step in that direction. The future of Duke Football is extremely bright.”
More ACC Headlines from NC Football News:
