Elko-less Duke preps for Birmingham Bowl with a reminder: ‘We’re not defined by one man’

Mike Elko built Duke into a successful football program during the past two seasons by emphasizing togetherness.

As the Blue Devils practice in preparation for Saturday’s Birmingham Bowl game with Troy, their coach is long gone, having left to become Texas A&M’s coach three weeks ago.

Though the mood around the program is different with multiple starters in the NCAA transfer portal and coaches not knowing where they will be working next season, that doesn’t mean the Blue Devils are disconnected.

“I think we’re not we’re not defined by one man,” Duke freshman quarterback Grayson Loftis said. “I think we’re a locker room. I think that’s kind of been our message. We’re going to build on what we can to continue to build on the last two years and keep it Duke football.”

Elko took a Duke program that had suffered three consecutive losing seasons and led it to bowl eligibility in the past two seasons. After going 16-9 with Duke, Elko accepted the job at Texas A&M on Nov. 29.

Duke hired Manny Diaz, the former Miami head coach who was Penn State’s defensive coordinator for the past two seasons, to replace Elko on Dec. 7.

But the whole situation cast uncertainty around the program. Elko has yet to complete his Texas A&M staff and Diaz is still hiring to fill out his Duke staff.

Starting players like quarterback Riley Leonard, defensive end RJ Oben, running back Jordan Waters and linebacker Dorian Mausi put their names in the transfer portal. Leonard and Oben will play at Notre Dame next season.

Still wearing a boot on his left foot as a surgically repaired turf toe injury heals, Leonard continues to roam the sideline at practice watching his former teammates work.

With all that going on, the Blue Devils (7-5) still have to prepare for one final game. Trooper Taylor is Duke’s interim coach even though he’s expected to join Elko as the Aggies’ running backs coach later this month.

Duke athletics director Nina King praised Taylor for helping keep the team connected during the uncertainty. The players agree.

“Huge,” Loftis said. “You know, he’s a great guy. He’s a great coach. Everybody in the locker room loves Coach Troop. So I think he played a big role and deserves a lot of credit.”

Said starting linebacker Tre Freeman, “It’s his energy. His energy is always up. He’s always making jokes. It’s never a dull moment with Troop.”

Other than Leonard and Oben, Duke’s players in the portal are allowed to continue practicing and play the Birmingham Bowl game for the Blue Devils.

That gives players like Freeman a chance to convince them to change their minds, like running backJaquez Moore did last week by withdrawing from the portal.

“You definitely want to recruit them to stay,” Freeman said. “But like this, they still know that they’re part of this team. Like you still got one more game left on the season and they’re part of the team so we’re gonna do our best to get him to come back.

Once the Blue Devils complete their final exams, they’ll head to Birmingham on Tuesday ahead of Saturday’s noon game with Troy on ABC.

No matter who is playing for them or who is coaching them, the Blue Devils want to finish up the season with a bowl win just as they did with last season’s 30-13 Military Bowl win over UCF.

“I think through the adversity, through the turmoil the locker room really stuck together,” Loftis said. “Coach Troop has a saying. The standard is the standard. So it didn’t change at practice. It doesn’t change in the locker room or the weight room.”