Duke football begins training camp following Mike Elko contract extension

The Duke football team begins fall camp following the contract extension of Mike Elko. 

The turnaround of the Duke football program in just one season under head coach Mike Elko has been nothing short of remarkable.

The Blue Devils rattled off nine wins, something not done in the program’s history since 2014, including a victory in the Military Bowl to cap off the first winning season in Durham since 2018.

Given the rapid success of the team, and rumors swirling that Northwestern could be targeting the Duke head coach to fill its coaching vacancy, Vice President and Director of Athletics Nina King opted to extend the contract of Elko, and his assistant coaches this summer.

Mike Elko’s contract with Duke now runs through the 2029 season and also includes an enhanced salary pool for assistant coaches and support staff members.

“Over the last 18 months, Coach Elko has cultivated and executed a plan to push Duke football forward with tremendous attention to detail, energy and a persistent commitment to excellence,” King said in a press release.

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“His passionate dedication to the Duke experience sets the standard, and we are fortunate to have him and the entire staff developing the young men in our program into elite student-athletes and future community leaders.”

Elko was named as the ACC Coach of the Year and the six win improvement from the final season with David Cutcliffe was the second-best turnaround in ACC history.

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“Sincere thanks to Dr. (Vincent) Price and Nina (King) for their commitment not only to me but also the football staff and entire program we have here at Duke,” Mike Elko said in a statement.

“This will enable us to continue to build elite opportunities for our young men to develop and succeed at one of the most prestigious universities in the country. We came here with a mission to create a program that could become the absolute Best of Both Worlds, and this is another step in that direction.”

Duke currently has the No. 35 recruiting class in the country for 2024, according to 247Sports.

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“The future of Duke Football is extremely bright,” Elko concluded.

The Blue Devils begin fall camp on Friday in preparation for its massive primetime showdown to begin the season on Monday, September 4 in Durham against the Clemson Tigers.

Duke has not beaten Clemson since 2004 and will be hoping that star quarterback Riley Leonard can prove to the country that he is a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate and one of the top prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft.