Texas A&M and head coach Mike Elko are reportedly finalizing a deal to hire Jay Bateman as the program’s new defensive coordinator/linebackers coach after a brief stint at Florida as the Inside linebackers coach. TexAgs’ Billy Liucci first reported the news, which was further confirmed by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Like several of the Aggies’ new assistants, Elko and Bateman go all the way back to the early 2000s during their time at Richmond as defensive assistants, as the new head coach has smartly brought on familiar faces whom he trusts, as every first-year coaching transition presents a bevy of challenges.
Outside of simply knowing Mike Elko, Jay Bateman is very accomplished in his own right, serving as a defensive coordinator at five programs, including a highly successful stint at Army (2014-2018), where he helped take a once 91st-ranked defense to 8th in the nation during his final season, resulting in being a finalist for the Broyles Award (top assistant coach in college football) in 2018.
Also known as an impressive recruiter during his brief two-year stint at North Carolina as DC/Safeties coach, Batemen helped secure several elite defensive prospects.
Bateman will replace D.J. Durkin, who served as the Aggie’s DC for the last two seasons and follow current A&M defensive line coach Sean Spencer, who also left Florida for the same position earlier this month.
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