Duke begins coaching search after Mike Elko leaves for Texas A&M. Five names to know
For the second time in 24 months, Duke athletic director Nina King is looking for a head football coach.
Mike Elko’s departure for Texas A&M, after two successful seasons coaching the Blue Devils, has Duke’s administration mulling possible candidates, looking for someone who can maintain what Elko delivered.
As disappointing as it is to have a coach leave after just two seasons, the flip side of that is many of the coaching candidates from the last search remain viable.
When Duke hired Elko after parting ways with former coach David Cutcliffe in 2021, Tony Elliott was also under strong consideration. Elliott, then a Clemson assistant, became Virginia’s head coach as Duke hired Elko.
Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, who played college football at Princeton, also expressed strong interest in the Duke job but ultimately was not offered the position.
Here are five other coaches who interviewed with Duke in 2021 who King figures to consider again:
Charles Huff
Marshall’s head coach for the past three seasons, Charles Huff had only one season of head coaching experience when he interviewed with Duke last time. He’s compiled a 22-16 record with the Thundering Herd, leading the team to wins over Notre Dame and Virginia Tech during his tenure. The 40-year-old Huff was previously an assistant coach at Penn State, Alabama, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.
Troy Calhoun
Troy Calhoun has been Air Force’s head coach since 2007, amassing an impressive 129-82 record. He’s taken the Falcons to 13 bowl games in 17 seasons. That includes this season’s 8-4 team. Air Force has produced four 10-win seasons under Calhoun and he’s only had four losing seasons.
The 57-year-old Calhoun coached four seasons in the NFL prior to being named head coach at Air Force. He was Wake Forest’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2001.
Steve Spurrier, Jr.
A former Duke player and Hall of Fame coach Steve Spurrier’s son, Steve Spurrier Jr. just completed his first season as offensive coordinator at Tulsa. Spurrier Jr., coached on his father’s staff with Washington in the NFL from 2002-03 as well as at South Carolina from 2005-2015. Since then, he’s been Western Kentucky’s assistant head coach as well as a wide receivers coach at Washington State and Mississippi State.
George Edwards
A Siler City native who starred at Jordan-Matthews High School before his Duke playing career, the 56-year-old Edwards was a Duke assistant in 1996 but has coached in the NFL since 1998. He’s currently in his first season as Tampa Bay’s outside linebackers coach after working as a special assistant coach with Dallas (2020-22), co-defensive coordinator with Minnesota (2014-19), linebackers coach with Miami (2005-09, 2012-13) and defensive coordinator at Buffalo (2010-11).
Scottie Montgomery
A former Duke player and assistant coach, Montgomery is assistant head coach/running backs coach with the NFL’s Detroit Lions. He also coached in the NFL with Indianapolis, as running backs coach, from 2021-2022 and with Pittsburgh as wide receivers coach from 2010-12.
Montgomery was Duke’s offensive coordinator in 2015 when East Carolina hired him as its head coach. Montgomery posted a 9-26 record in three seasons with the Pirates.
