Notre Dame football rival coach wishes 'any other quarterback' was on the other side

Notre Dame football fans are quite excited to see what Riley Leonard can do this fall. There is one member of the Texas A&M Aggies that’s gone on the record stating he wishes the former Duke quarterback was anywhere else.

That’s all the more ironic because one of the big reasons Leonard is at Notre Dame at all is because former Duke head coach Mike Elko departed for College Station. Elko likely knows that, but he’s still gone on record saying when his Aggies take on the Irish, he wishes he didn’t have to face off against his former charge.

Notre Dame football rival coach wishes 'any other quarterback' was on the other side

"I kind of wish there would be any other quarterback on the other side for the opener," Elko said during the SEC Media Days.

Elko coached Leonard for two years at Duke. Now the two former Blue Devils will face off in the season opener. 

When he was asked about how he felt about facing his former quarterback, he said that he was surprised it took as long as it did for someone to ask the question. “Him and I have joked about trying to come up with some type of scripted answer.”

“Listen, Riley’s a phenomenal quarterback,” Elko said. “He’s a phenomenal competitor. He obviously played a huge role in our success at Duke. And in a lot of ways me getting this job here at Texas A&M. And so the irony of playing against him in the opener certainly isn’t lost on me.”

It’s worth pointing out that Elko isn’t just facing his former quarterback. He was the Irish’s defensive coordinator in 2017. While none of his former charges are in South Bend anymore, he’s still got that connection to Notre Dame football. That makes the game on August 31 all the more interesting.