Report: Duke meets with Manny Diaz, Tony Gibson, Jim Knowles about coaching opening

Mike Elko is off to Texas A&M, but where does that leave Duke in its own head coaching search?

In a joint report from The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, Nicole Auerbach and Chris Vannini — three notable names have met with the Blue Devils’ brass on Wednesday: Penn State DC Manny Diaz, NC State DC Tony Gibson and Ohio State DC Jim Knowles.

The common denominator when it comes to all three — they’re all defensive-minded coaches and have all gained reputations as three of the top defensive coordinators at the collegiate football level. Elko was Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator before taking over Duke for the 2022 season, which leads one to believe the decision-makers in Durham want to keep the same defensive philosophy within the program.

In a separate report by Feldman, he also named James Madison’s Curt Cignetti and Marshall’s Charles Huff, among others, as potential candidates for the job as well. Though, there’s no word on how high they’re actually being considered by the Blue Devils.

For now, Trooper Taylor has been named Duke’s interim head coach. Taylor was also named as the program’s interim coach when former headman David Cutcliffe was let go in 2021. He brings over 30 years of coaching experience to Duke’s coaching staff and is a player-favorite within the program. He will lead the program into the bowl game and the early stages of the offseason as Duke’s coaching search ramps up.

Bruce Feldman names seven candidates to replace Mike Elko at Duke

Mike Elko is heading back to College Station, replacing Jimbo Fisher and accepting the Texas A&M job. Two promising years were spent at Duke where Elko had the program trending in the right direction. Now, the Blue Devils are looking for a new leader for the second time in three offseasons.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic has put together a list of candidates to replace Elko in Durham. Only two of them are current head coaches, coming from the Group of Five ranks. Four are current Power Five coordinators, while one is an outside-the-hire box from the world of media.

Of course, basketball is always going to be a priority for Duke. But plenty of coaches have shown if the right guy is in charge of the football program, there can be a ton of success.

The list included Diaz, Cingetti, Huff, Florida State OC Alex Atkins, Tulsa OC Steve Spurrier Jr. and former NFL offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.