Mike Elko Named Notre Dame Defensive Coordinator: Latest Details, Reaction

Notre Dame announced Tuesday it hired Mike Elko as its defensive coordinator. Elko served in the same role at Wake Forest for the past three seasons.

"I'm excited to join a program with the prestige of Notre Dame that can recruit the nation's highest caliber of student-athlete and compete for a national championship," Elko said, per Notre Dame's announcement.

J.J. Stankevitz of CSN Chicago noted Elko will assume the defensive coordinator role for Greg Hudson, who led the defense for the final eight games of the 2016 campaign after the Fighting Irish fired Brian VanGorder.

Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated said "Elko's defensive hallmarks include multiple, concept-driven packages that lend to an aggressive style."

According to Notre Dame's release, Elko's defenses ranked in the top-40 in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total defenses in each of the last five seasons (Wake Forest from 2014-16 and Bowling Green from 2012-13).

Notre Dame shared some of Wake Forest's impressive defensive rankings under Elko in 2016:

Stat	National Rank
Fumbles Recovered	3
Turnovers Forced	10
Sacks	12
Defensive Touchdowns	17
Red Zone Defense	17
Scoring Defense	20

Only Alabama, Clemson and Washington matched Wake Forest and finished in the top-20 in the nation in turnovers forced, sacks and scoring defense this year, per Notre Dame.

Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly said Elko is "in a class by himself among defensive coordinators across the country," per Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish were an abysmal 4-8 this season, and the defense Elko will be tasked with in the coming years was a primary reason why they struggled. Notre Dame finished 44th in the nation in yards allowed per game and 62nd in points allowed per game.

It was apparent in the season opener the defense would be a problem when it allowed 50 points and 517 total yards to a Texas team that finished 5-7 and missed a bowl game. The defense also allowed 36 points to Michigan State and 38 points to Duke (neither team made a bowl) during a 1-3 start that led to VanGorder's firing.

The Fighting Irish still had the chance to make a bowl game with wins against Virginia Tech and USC in the final two games, but the defense was torched yet again. Notre Dame gave up 34 points to the Hokies and 45 points to the Trojans in two straight losses (USC did score two special teams touchdowns and return an interception for a score).

There is reason for optimism with Elko's hiring. Stankevitz pointed to a young defense that includes playmakers such as Daelin Hayes, Julian Love and Devin Studstill. What's more, Notre Dame has the eighth-ranked recruiting class for 2017, per Scout, and will have plenty of talented playmakers for Elko to mold. 

If Elko's defensive numbers at Wake Forest are any indication, Notre Dame will be back among the nation's elite on the defensive side of the ball in the near future.