After Texas A&M got off to a 9–0 start this season—their best since the 1990s—the Aggies decided to reward coach Mike Elko by agreeing to a contract extension, which was first reported before their historic comeback win against South Carolina.
As part of Elko’s new deal, he wanted to make sure his assistant coaches were well taken care of as well. In the deal, Elko assured that his assistant coaches would receive bonuses similar to his, especially ahead of A&M’s likely advance to the College Football Playoff.
“It’s absolutely critical. I think one of the biggest things we were able to get done was a bonus structure for the assistants that married something similar to the bonus structure that I had,” Elko told reporters this week. “I thought one of things that was not right was the bonus structure that I was going to receive had we qualified for the playoffs that was not on par with the assistants. Certainly, I’m no more valuable to this team than they are.”
Elko continued, “We were able to get that done and it will go into effect immediately. If this thing continues and we wind up getting rewarded with a playoff berth, those coaches who were a huge part of it will get rewarded at a really similar level. That was really important to me.”
The full details of Elko’s new deal, and how it impacts his assistants’ deals, have not yet been disclosed. It is a six-year deal and reportedly worth upwards of $11 million per year.
Elko’s tenure with the Aggies has gotten off to a tremendous first two seasons. Texas A&M went 8–5 in their first season under Elko, and are 10–0 and ranked No. 3 entering their final two games of the year against Samford and No. 10 Texas. They are on the verge of their first-ever CFP appearance, all while Elko is ensuring that his assistants coaches are rewarded for the team’s success as well.
