Report: Mike Elko, Texas A&M expected to hire Patrick Dougherty as special teams coordinator

Mike Elko is continuing to build out his staff at Texas A&M, and his latest addition comes from the Duke Blue Devils.

Of course, Elko returned to College Station after a stint as the leader of Duke. Now, he’s bringing his former assent with the Blue Devils, Patrick Dougherty, to the Aggies as their new special teams coordinator, according to Matt Zenitz.

“Texas A&M is expected to hire Duke’s Patrick Dougherty as special teams coordinator, sources tell @247sports. Under Dougherty, Duke has ranked in the top-25 nationally in stats like punt and kick return defense, punt return average and blocked kicks,” Zenitz posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

As Zenitz pointed out, it’s a solid hire for Elko. Duke was phenomenal on special teams under Dougherty’s guidance, and Texas A&M will be wanting to play some serious complimentary football under Elko’s guidance.

With each hire, the hype for Mike Elko’s first season back with Texas A&M continues to grow. The Aggies are in seemingly good hands, looking to take the SEC by storm with their new fearless leader.

Mike Elko reveals message to Texas A&M players after taking over as head coach

When Mike Elko took over at Texas A&M, he made it clear the program had a long way to go to reach its potential. The Aggies got into a bowl game this year with a 6-6 record after last year’s disappointing 5-7 record, which included a top-ranked recruiting class.

For Elko, the goal isn’t just to make a bowl game. He wants to be in the College Football Playoff. That was his message to the players after he took over.

“We’ve got to become what we’re capable of becoming,” Elko said on the ESPN broadcast during Wednesday’s Texas Bowl. “I think that’s the biggest thing. I think this program is capable of being a team that’s in the Playoff and competing for national championships every year. But we’re not that right now. We’ve got to recognize that, and we’ve got to roll up our sleeves and go to work to become what we should be.”

Elko knows what it takes to win in College Station. He was on Jimbo Fisher’s staff as defensive coordinator from 2018-21 when the Aggies won eight games four straight seasons — including nine-win campaigns in 2018 and the COVID-impacted 2020 season. Now, as the College Football Playoff is getting ready to expand to 12 teams next year, he wants Texas A&M to be right in the middle of the race for a national title.

Time will tell if he’s able to, but doubt Mike Elko and the future of the Texas A&M Aggies at your own risk.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.