Former Notre Dame coaches set to battle in the game of the week in college football this weekend
The biggest matchup of the weekend in college football is the (8) LSU Tigers traveling to Kyle Field to take on (14) Texas A&M Aggies. This is the highest ranked vs ranked matchup this weekend, and that could be very important to figuring out the hierarchy of the SEC conference. It could also have huge […]
The biggest matchup of the weekend in college football is the (8) LSU Tigers traveling to Kyle Field to take on (14) Texas A&M Aggies. This is the highest ranked vs ranked matchup this weekend, and that could be very important to figuring out the hierarchy of the SEC conference. It could also have huge playoff implications.
One interesting part of this matchup is the relationship between the two coaches, and their background with the Notre Dame program. On the LSU side, we have head coach Brian Kelly, who spent 12 years as the head man in South Bend from 2010-2021, accruing a 113-40 overall record.
For the Aggies, they are led by head coach Mike Elko. He spent previous stops with the Aggies as the defensive coordinator from 2018-21. Before that, he spent the 2017 with the Notre Dame program in the same capacity, helping the Irish finish with a 10-3 overall record.
With that relationship, Coach Kelly was asked about his relationship with Elko and his impression of him as a head coach. As it turns out, he could see this ascension for Coach Elko during their time working together.
“Yeah, very similar in terms of his demeanor,” Coach Kelly said about Elko. “He is, first of all, he's extremely well organized. He has a plan for everything. He is demanding on his players and his staff, but never demeaning. He is fair and has a standard and an expectation. Communicates well with players, and that's why he's successful. I mean, he has all the important components of a leader, and saw that when he was my defensive coordinator, and knew that he was destined to be a leader of a football program in a very short period of time.”
Coach Kelly is in his third season with the LSU program, currently sitting with a 6-1 overall record and the No. 8 ranking in the latest AP Top 25 poll. Overall during his three years, he has accumulated a 26-8 overall record. For some context, however, Kelly is just 4-6 against top 25 opponents.
For Coach Elko, he has the Aggies off to a somewhat surprising 6-1 start to the season. He is 1-1 against top 25 teams this season, so this LSU matchup will give great context to just how good this Texas A&M team truly is. Ironically enough, their lone top 25 loss came against Notre Dame.
Notre Dame fans will be keeping close eyes on this matchup for various reasons. For one, LSU is currently ahead of them in the polls, and could have huge playoff seeding implications. Texas A&M is also this Irish team’s best victory so far, so them winning would help to continue strengthening their resume.
