College football has kicked off its highly anticipated season, and one of the key matchups this weekend features a face-off between Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko and Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard. Both previously achieved impressive results at Duke University before going their separate ways.
The duo that made successful results at Duke has leveraged that experience to propel their careers and make significant strides in college football. Kyle Field will witness an exciting clash between these two old teammates from the NCAAF.
Following the departure of head coach Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M moved quickly to secure the services of the experienced Mike Elko, who had achieved significant success before arriving at Texas.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame secured the services of talented QB Riley Leonard, who, alongside Elko, formed a solid duo at Duke University. Leonard had amassed 33 touchdowns in 2022 and led the Blue Devils as high as No. 16 in the national polls before suffering an injury in 2023. The QB announced on social media that he would be transferring to Notre Dame, calling the move ‘a dream come true.’
Elko and Leonard, face o face
After having shared a roster for a long time, the coach and quarterback ultimately went their separate ways. Fate has now brought them face-to-face in none other than Week 1 of the championship.
About 100,000 people are expected to fill Kyle Field, as it welcomes Riley Leonard and his Notre Dame team in what will undoubtedly be one of the most thrilling games of the weekend. Both universities will be aiming to start their path to the title on the right foot.
HC Mike Elko will face off against his former player Leonard for the first time, with whom he achieved great success when they were part of one of the most consistent duos in college football.
Elko’s clear message to the QB
In statements to the press, the former Duke coach addressed the situation of facing Leonard in the season opener: “It’s interesting and weird and not really something I want to do. But at the end of the day, it’s part of the game,”
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for who he is, not just as a player but also as a young man. I have respect for his family. It’ll be three hours competing against each other, and the rest of the year rooting for him“, he concluded.
HC expects his former to have an advantage
Regarding the specific fact of facing a former teammate, the experienced coach stated the following: “I would argue that he has more of an upper hand than we do”.
“He’s probably a little bit more familiar with this defense than most quarterbacks we play. It’s not the exact defense we ran at Duke, but we don’t have a ton of comfort as a program going against this offense. Two years going against a version of this defense that’s similar to what he’ll see Saturday night probably gives him a little bit more of an advantage than it does us.”, Elko concluded.