Tag: Duke football

Former Duke quarterback announces transfer to Notre Dame

The ACC is once again losing one of its top quarterbacks to Notre Dame.

There are no surprises here: another former ACC quarterback is transferring to Notre Dame.

Former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard announced Tuesday that he will transfer to play football for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame felt like the only option, and Flighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman landed another transfer quarterback from the ACC. Let’s see if things work out better this time around.

Playing three seasons at Duke from 2021-23, Leonard completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 4,450 yards and 24 touchdowns with 10 interceptions, adding 1,224 yards and 19 more scores on the ground. He was one of the conference’s top quarterbacks but dealt with injuries throughout the 2023 season. When healthy in 2022, he threw for 2,967 yards with 20 touchdowns and rushed for 699 yards and 13 scores.

One of the biggest names in the transfer portal has made things official.

Report: Texas A&M will hire Duke AHC and RB coach Trooper Taylor

It has been reported that Texas A&M and HC Mike Elko will bring in Duke AHC and running backs coach Troop Taylor.

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has made another key hire during his transition period, as it’s been reported by 247Sports’ Adam Rowe and Aggies Today that Duke AHC and running back coach Trooper Taylor will become the third assistant under Elko during his two seasons in Durham (NC) to follow him to College Station.

Joining Ishmael Aristide (cornerbacks coach) and Adam Cushing (offensive line coach), Elko is prioritizing coaching continuity after two successful seasons at Duke, while Aristide also worked under Elko during his four seasons at Texas A&M as the program’s defensive coordinator (2018-2021).

From 2019-2023, Taylor served in various positions with the Blue Devils, including wide receivers and cornerbacks coaches during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Still, even more importantly, Taylor has consistently been named as one of the top recruiters in the country year after year, according to Rivals and 247Sports over the last decade.

After Elko’s departure, Taylor was unanimously named Dukes’ interim head coach due to his experience. He will likely become the go-to confident during Elko’s first season at the helm.

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Texas A&M has hired Adam Cushing as the program’s new offensive line coach

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has officially hired former Duke OL coach Adam Cushing to the same position.

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has continued to assemble his new coaching staff ahead of the 2024 season. After the dismissal of offensive line coach Steve Adazzio last week, rumors surrounding Duke OL/ Run-game coordinator Adam Cushing as his possible successor came to fruition on Tuesday afternoon.

According to 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Cushing has officially been hired as the Aggies’ offensive line coach, bringing in a wealth of experience and recent success during his two-year stint with the Blue Devils under Elko.

Cushing’s two seasons in Durham were headlined by the play of offensive tackle Graham Barton and center Jacob Monk to All-ACC honors and led Duke in sacks allowed and tackles for loss allowed while aiding a highly productive run game in 2022 and 2023.

Before taking on his first head coaching stint at Eastern Illinois, Cushing, who was the OL coach at Northwestern for nine seasons (2009-2018), coached some of the top pass protectors while helping then quarterback Clayton Thorson set multiple school records through the air. Most notably, Cushing mentored current Los Angeles Charger left tackle Rashawn Slater to becoming the 13th-overall Pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

On paper, Adam Cushing is a significant upgrade, and knowing Mike Elko’s track record with staff hires, he looks like the perfect fit heading into the 2024 campaign.

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Report: Duke S&C David Feeley won’t follow Mike Elko to Texas A&M

According to a source at FootballScoop, Duke Strength & Conditioning coach David Feeley will not follow Mike Elko to Texas A&M.

After it was reported earlier last week that renowned Duke strength & conditioning coach David Feeley would follow head coach Mike Elko to Texas A&M, a source provided to FootballScoop has stated that Feeley will not make his way to College Station after all.

After Texas A&M officially hired Elko last Sunday afternoon, the former Aggies defensive coordinator is currently in the process of interviewing more than a dozen coaches for various positions ranging from offensive coordinator to O-line coach, now adding S&C coach into the mix.

While Feeley remains a hot commodity on the open market, FootballScoop writer Jon Brice also noted that Elko will likely be in contact with Duke OC Kevin Johns. At the same time, former Texas A&M linebacker coach and current Duke DC Tyler Santucci will also not follow Elko.

“Kevin Johns will be considered for the A&M offensive coordinator position, but Elko also has worked to target numerous offensive play-callers around the sport.

Tyler Santucci, widely considered one of the top up-and-coming defensive minds in college football, will not accompany Elko to College Station.”

As I wrote early Saturday, current Texas A&M interim head coach Elijah Robinson has reportedly received immense interest from new Syracuse HC Fran Brown, who worked with Robinson at Temple and Baylor a year ago. Robinson is expected to make a decision in the coming weeks.

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‘We will represent this university with pride’ Everything new Texas A&M HC Mike Elko had to say during his Introductory Press Conference

Texas A&M officially names Mike Elko as the new head football coach at the Ford Hall of Champions

The Ford Hall of Champions was the venue selected to introduce the 30th head coach of the Texas A&M Football team. A&M President Mark Welsh and Athletic Director Ross Bjork gave the new head coach a glowing introduction before Elko took the podium.

The theme of the introductory press conference was blue-collar work ethic and offensive innovation. Coach Elko knows a thing or two about hard work, from growing up in a trailer park in New Jersey to winning an Ivy League championship as a player at the University of Pennsylvania.

Elko will bring accountability and culture to a program that seemed to be lacking these characteristics over the last few years. Holding on to Elijah Robinson would be a great first step at keeping some of the positive attributes he brings to the team.

Lastly, while it might not be the “headline” hire some might have wanted, it is now the correct hire for this team. We look forward to watching Coach Elko build his staff and getting the program in the position to take the next step forward.

Breaking: Texas A&M is set to hire Mike Elko as the next football head coach

According to multiple sources, Duke head coach Mike Elko is in line to become the 30th head coach For Texas A&M Football.

After Saturday night’s chaotic ending following the botched hiring of Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops, Texas A&M’s search for the next head football coach after the firing of Jimbo Fisher has finally reached its conclusion, as, according to multiple sources, Duke head coach and former Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko has been named Fisher’s immediate successor.

On Sunday afternoon, TexAgs’ Billy Liucci officially confirmed the news that the A&M Board of Regents made the decision late Saturday night, just hours after the Stoops debacle, as the longtime favorite to succeed Fisher at the helm potentially has finally reached the mountain-top.

While Fisher’s $76.8 million buyout will likely remain a record for quite some time, Elko’s reported buyout from Duke sits at around $5 million, making this a win-win from a financial standpoint.

Ending his Duke career with a 16-9 record, Elko has guided the Blue Devils to consecutive bowl appearances, as his first head coaching stint was impressive, to say the least.

Elko’s four seasons in College Station were built on consistent progress. The Aggies’ defense continued to improve yearly, including his ninth-ranked unit during the 9-1 2020 season, the most successful campaign under Jimbo Fisher during his Aggie career.

Regarding relationships, Elko is close with several of A&M’s coaching staff members, including interim head coach Elijah Robinson, who will likely stay with the program, so stay tuned for any updates.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

UNC football defensive keys to the game vs Duke

Taking a look at the defensive keys to the game for the UNC football program against the Duke Blue Devils.

The highly anticipated game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils is set to take place this weekend with more than the victory bell up for grabs.

Both programs were having their best season in years, with this matchup potentially being between two undefeated teams before they had their meltdowns. UNC stunningly dropped two games while their name flirted with the college football playoff race. Meanwhile, Duke lost momentum after the Notre Dame loss, to get blown out by Louisville and barely squeezed by Wake Forest.

Duke only sits one game behind UNC in the rankings, making this matchup critical. If the Tar Heels want to punch their ACC championship ticket, they need to finish the season strong with a win against Duke.

To leave Saturday with the victory bell and record intact, there are a few things UNC will need to accomplish. Here’s a look at the defensive keys for Saturday’s game against Duke.

What’s the likelihood of UNC finishing undefeated? Let’s see what ESPN has to say

A 5-0 start has UNC in the conversation for an ACC title. ESPN predicts the likelihood of Carolina winning its remaining matchups.

UNC is just a basketball school, right?

If you’ve been watching college football this year, you’ll realize the Tar Heels are making the case to also be considered as a football school.

Carolina’s 5-0 start, its best since 1997, is fueled by a resurgent Drake Maye, a suddenly-deep and talented wide receiver room, Omarion Hampton’s breakout Sophomore campaign, plus the defense.

The defense? Yes, you read that right. Nine sacks against South Carolina Week 1, 13 second half points between Weeks 1, 3, 4 and 5, much-improved pressure against opposing quarterbacks and a slew of transfers, highlighted by Alijah Huzzie and Amari Gainer.

UNC downed the Gamecocks, App State (close call), Minnesota, Pitt and Syracuse en route to being one of the ACC’s three undefeated teams (Florida State, Louisville). The Tar Heels are in the thick of contending for the conference crown, with their next task Miami on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

UNC will host UVA for its third straight home game next weekend, then hit the road for a date with its kryptonite, Georgia Tech, on Saturday, Oct. 28. Carolina will host Campbell (Nov. 4) and archrival Duke (Nov. 11) to close out its home slate, then travel to Clemson (Nov. 18) and rival N.C. State (Nov. 25) to end its regular season.

It’s always fun predicting the final scores of each matchup. We’re not going to do that today, but let’s take a look instead at UNC’s likelihood of winning each game, according to ESPN:

5 stars: The best and worst of Notre Dame’s comeback win at Duke

That was fun but things went well and some didn’t for Notre Dame

[autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] is riding the roller coaster that we all love, college football.For the second week in a row, the Irish were in a 60 minute battle, but this time on the road against [autotag]Duke[/autotag], Notre Dame found a way to win.

Quarterback [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag], with his 6 years of experience found a way to drive the Irish 95-yards for the game winning drive.Running back [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] put the exclamation point on the win with his 30-yard touchdown run, to provide the go-ahead score.

Like always, there was good, 5-stars, and not so good, 1-star, performances for the Irish tonight. Find out below what went well and didn’t in Notre Dame’s 21-14 road win over Duke.

Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman classily waited for Duke QB Riley Leonard to exit medical tent after late injury

The epitome of sportsmanship.

No. 11 Notre Dame topped No. 17 Duke, 21-14, on the road in Durham, North Carolina on Saturday night in a tense game that came down to the wire.

Fighting Irish running back Auric Estime gave his team the lead with a 30-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, and with quarterback Sam Hartman leading a good two-point conversion, Notre Dame took a seven-point lead. Duke had just 31 seconds to try to make something happen, and unfortunately, it was an awful ending for the Blue Devils.

On second-and-five from their own 30-yard line, Duke quarterback Riley Leonard was sacked and fumbled the ball, which Notre Dame recovered and effectively ended the game. But Leonard went down extremely awkwardly and looked to be in horrible pain on the ground afterward.

Leonard was in Duke’s medical tent when the game ended, and Hartman waited to celebrate and hung around for him to exit. Eventually, Leonard came out on crutches, seemingly not putting any weight on his right ankle, and the two quarterbacks shared a brief moment together.

A classy moment and the epitome of sportsmanship.