Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator search is officially on-again. Just as the Aggies were settling into a new era under head coach Mike Elko, they’ve been thrown a curveball.
Collin Klein, who had only recently taken the OC job in College Station, is heading back to his alma mater to take over as head coach at Kansas State. The move came fast and with little warning, largely because there wasn’t much chatter about Chris Klieman stepping down in Manhattan.
Now, Elko finds himself in a familiar situation: searching for a top-tier offensive mind to run his attack. And he’ll need to move quickly.
Continuity is key in today’s college football landscape, especially with the transfer portal wide open and early signing day looming. The Aggies can’t afford to miss on this hire.
So who should Elko be dialing up first? Let’s start with a name that brings both pedigree and proven results: Mike Denbrock.
Mike Denbrock (Notre Dame OC)
If you're building a list of elite offensive coordinators in college football, Denbrock’s name better be on it-and near the top. He’s coming off a season that saw him orchestrate the LSU offense that helped Jayden Daniels capture the 2023 Heisman Trophy.
That alone puts him in rare air. But what makes Denbrock particularly intriguing for Texas A&M is his ability to tailor an offense to the talent he has on hand.
After his stint with Daniels, Denbrock took his talents to South Bend and hasn’t missed a beat. Under Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame, Denbrock has shown off his schematic flexibility.
Last season, he worked with Riley Leonard, a mobile quarterback who thrived in a balanced system. This year, he’s built a different kind of offense around CJ Carr, a pocket passer with a different skill set-and somehow, the Irish have looked even more explosive.
Of course, it helps to have a dynamic back like Jeremiyah Love in the backfield, but Denbrock’s real strength lies in how he maximizes what he’s got. He’s not married to one system.
He adapts. He evolves.
And that’s exactly what Texas A&M needs right now-someone who can walk into a room full of talent and know how to get the most out of it.
Luring Denbrock away from Notre Dame won’t be easy. But it’s worth noting that the Aggies have pulled off this kind of move before-they hired Mike Elko away from the Irish once already.
And in a twist of irony, Notre Dame had originally targeted Collin Klein before he chose A&M. So there’s already some shared history between these programs when it comes to offensive minds.
If Elko wants to stabilize his staff and keep the Aggies’ offensive trajectory moving upward, Denbrock should be one of the first names on the call sheet. He’s got the experience, the adaptability, and the track record of building high-level offenses in multiple systems. In a time of uncertainty, he brings exactly the kind of steady, innovative presence Texas A&M needs.