If you thought you could escape any off-the-field drama ahead of Texas A&M’s 2024 season opener against Notre Dame, think again!
After two successful seasons as Duke’s head coach, new Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko will now face his former Blue Devils starting quarterback Riley Leonard, who transferred to Notre Dame earlier in the offseason, knowing that his NFL future will be better secured in South Bend.
While Elko isn’t fully responsible for Leonard’s development, his toughness and resilient play style can certainly be tied back to how Elko coaches his quarterbacks, something we all expect from A&M’s’ starting quarterback, Conner Weigman, who has steadily improved this fall and is 100% healthy heading into the opener.
On Monday, when asked about facing his former QB, Elko, honest as usual, noted the obvious awkwardness despite his immense respect for the junior signal caller.
“It’s interesting and weird and not really something I want to do, but at the end of the day, it’s part of the game. Obviously, I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and his family.”
“It’ll be three hours of competing against each other.”
One final question remains: Does Riley Leonard hold a slight advantage over Elko’s defensive scheme? It is possible in terms of reading pre-snap coverage disguises, but when it comes to facing the Aggies’ potentially elite pass rush, led by former Purdue defensive end Nic Scourton, Leonard knows that getting the ball out quickly is his only move.
No. 20 Texas A&M will host No. 7 Notre Dame on Saturday, August 31, at 6:30 p.m. CT, and the game will air on ABC.
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