Mike Elko Texas A&M contract: Estimating new Aggies coach's salary ahead of his takeover in College Station

Following a two-year tenure in charge of Duke football, Mike Elko has made his way back to Texas A&M as a replacement for the fired Jimbo Fisher. Elko previously worked as a defensive coordinator with the Aggies from 2018 to 2021 under the leadership of Fisher.

Texas A&M brought Elko back to the program after his impressive performance as a head coach during the last two seasons. The New Jersey native transformed a lowly-rated Blue Devils into a force in the Atlantic Coast Conference, leading them to two consecutive winning seasons.

With the Aggies expecting such an instant transformation from Mike Elko, let's take a look at the coach's potential earnings with the program.

Mike Elko's salary estimate at Texas A&M

Becoming a Texas A&M coach is obviously a big deal in college football when it comes to salary size. Jimbo Fisher's last contract at the program had an average of $9.5 million annual payout, excluding bonuses and incentives. Evidently, Elko is set for a huge payout after making a return.

As reported by USA Today, Elko's annual salary at Duke is approximately $3.5 million. It is anticipated that Texas A&M will pay a buyout fee of around $5 million to Duke for securing his services. He is expected to earn around $5 million annually with the Aggies, excluding bonuses.

Mike Elko's salary at Texas A&M is expected to come with lucrative performance-based bonuses and incentives. The Aggies athletic director Ross Bjork has noted the contract for whoever takes on the head coaching role for the ousted Jimbo Fisher will be heavily incentivized.

“We have to get this contract right,” Bjork said. “We can’t do what we did before. … We’ve level-set with everybody we’ve talked to and said, ‘Here are the parameters, and here is the structure.’

"It gives you an incentive structure that is way different than what we’ve had before. You can have a base package that has to be competitive, but then it’s like, we’re not giving bonuses to go to the Liberty Bowl."

Mike Elko's 2024 season projection at Texas A&M

Mike Elko steps into a promising scenario at Texas A&M for the 2024 college football season. The nation's top-rated class of 2022, which he played a role in recruiting, will be in their junior year and will be taking on bigger roles on the team.

The Aggies boast what is, arguably, their most favorable schedule since joining the SEC in 2012. Evidently, Elko has a good chance of replicating his good work at Duke in College Station.