Duke football coach Mike Elko's contract has been restructured and extended through the 2029 season.
"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. "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. Coach Elko's vision acutely aligns with the principles of the university, and I could not be more excited to have him guide Duke Football well into the future."
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Elko, who was hired on December of 2021, earned ACC Coach of the Year honors in his first season as Duke posted an overall record of 9-4 capped by a 30-13 victory over UCF in the Military Bowl. After Duke recorded an 0-8 ledger in ACC play in 2021, Elko took the helm and guided the Blue Devils to a 5-3 mark last season to match the best one-year improvement by a winless team in league history. In addition, the plus-six overall improvement (three wins in 2021 to nine victories in 2022) equaled the second-best turnaround in ACC history. It was the most wins Duke had seen since 2014.
The most significant turnaround came in turnover margin where the Blue Devils jumped from 108th nationally in 2021 to an ACC-best and No. 2 national mark of +1.23.
Included in the new agreement is an enhanced, escalating model for the assistant coach and support staff salary pools.
Duke opens the season at home against Clemson on Monday, Sept. 4. at 8 p.m.