Mike Elko and Texas A&M agreed on a contract extension back in November, and three months later we now have details thanks to Texas-based college football writer Brian Davis.
Elko will earn $10.75 million through 2026 with $300,000 raises thereafter. His base salary tops out at $12.25 million in 2031, which is less than Kirby Smart makes right now. That might sound self-evident given that Smart has been at Georgia a decade now and won back-to-back national title and Elko hasn't done either of those things, but keep in mind this is an institution that put the cart about 2 miles ahead of the horse under the previous regime. Elko preached restraint when he took the job in November 2023, and two years later he put his money where his mouth was.
Elko Salary By Year
2026: $10.75 million
2027: $11.05 million
2028: $11.35 million
2029: $11.65 million
2030: $11.95 million
2031: $12.25 million
Elko will trigger an automatic 1-year extension each time he wins nine regular season games or reaches the College Football Playoff. If/when that happens, Elko's 2032 salary would be $12.55 million and continue the annual $300,000 raises from there. He would owe a $1 million buyout if he left prior to Dec. 2 under Exhibit A.
Elko's bonus structure ranges from $50,000 for an SEC coach of the year award to $1.25 million for a national championship. He would have made $3.5 million had the Aggies won the 2025 national title.
The extension officially began Nov. 14. The next day, the undefeated and third-ranked Aggies hosted South Carolina. Hearts were undoubtedly throughout the Kyle Field suite level as A&M promptly fell behind the 3-6 Gamecocks 30-3 in the first half, but the Aggies staged the largest comeback in program history to win the game, 31-30.