Texas A&M football 50 in 50: Will Mike Elko turn around the defense?

Texas A&M football is 46 days away, and in the days leading up to the Aggie opener we’re answering the 50 biggest questions for the 2018 season.

When Kevin Sumlin stole John Chavis away from LSU to be Texas A&M football’s defensive coordinator, he was hailed as a savior. The final piece in what could be a run at a national championship.

A&M was close to signing a 5-star quarterback and wide receiver duo in the 2015 class that was expected to terrorize SEC defenses for years to come. The offense had already been stellar under Sumlin in his first three seasons, but the defense took the fall for not stepping up.

Chavis was supposed to change all that. He didn’t.

In the three seasons Chavis was the defensive coordinator, he never had a top 50 defense in yards allowed, and he got worse each year in points allowed.

The Chavis effect never happened. The Aggies finished 8-5, 8-5 and 7-6 in these three seasons. Chavis struggled in conference play and rarely slowed down the likes of LSU, Alabama and Mississippi State, among others. It was no wonder Fisher moved on despite Chavis’ track record at previous stops.

Mike Elko, Fisher’s choice for defensive coordinator who he stole from Notre Dame, on the contrary, finished with a top 50 defense in each of those Chavis seasons with Wake Forest and the Fighting Irish.

Elko did this with considerably less talent than Chavis while at Wake Forest, and Notre Dame’s defense was not supposed to be as good as they were in 2017. That was mostly due to Elko’s style, methods, and recognition that he could take Drue Tranquill and move him from safety to his “rover” position (hybrid defensive back – linebacker).

He will have a player of this caliber in Tyrel Dodson. While he has always been a linebacker, Dodson is smaller and quick as hell. He finished the 2017 season with ridiculous numbers. He had 104 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and three interceptions. Dodson was quite literally all over the field.

The base of Elko’s defense is a 4-2-5, with the rover being one of the five defensive backs. However, that position is very flexible and will move around based on what the other team is doing. Against LSU’s double tight end, run-heavy offense, the rover stayed inside. Against a spread offense like what Sumlin used to run, the rover would line up over a slot receiver.

Those are just a couple of examples and the important part to note is Elko is not set in one defense. He adjusts based on what the offense shows him. This is exciting when you consider Texas A&M has had trouble adjusting to other team’s adjustments over the years.

Next: Will the offensive line improve in 2018?

Fisher and Elko will have both sides of the ball much more mentally prepared week in and week out. Expect vast improvements on defense with a host of returning players and Elko working his magic.

Jeff Shull is the Site Expert for the Gig Em Gazette on FanSided. Follow him on Twitter, and be sure to follow the Gig Em Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.