Mike Elko thinks the college football coaching carousel is pretty funny.

On Monday, during a meeting with the media, Texas A&M's coach was asked about reports naming him a candidate for Penn State's vacant job. He first addressed how he handled the situation, then fired off a pretty great line about it.

"I don't discuss it with my players," Elko said. "I think it's absolutely hilarious how you guys cover coaches. I think three weeks ago, I was getting fired. Now I'm getting hired. Now you don't want me to stay but I'm leaving. It's absolutely hilarious. It is a waste of brain space to spend any time talking or thinking about any of that stupidity."

That's a strong reaction from the 48-year-old. He currently has the Aggies rolling at 7-0 and ranked No. 3 in the nation. There's no question he'll be an in-demand coach given how he's turned things around in College Station. He's also a New Jersey native who played safety at Penn, so there is a connection there.

Mike Elko has Texas A&M on the rise

After four season as the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M from 2018 to '21, Elko was hired as the head coach at Duke. In his first season, the Blue Devils went 9-4, then he followed that with a 7-5 record in 2023. The Aggies poached him following the 2023 season and in his first campaign in College Station they went 8-5.

Now in 2025, Elko has his program moving. Texas A&M scored an early-season 41-40 road win over Notre Dame, but hasn't beaten a top 25 team other than that. The Aggies will be tested in their next two games as they travel to face LSU, then Missouri.

So far this season, Texas A&M is averaging 464 yards per game of total offense, which ranks 17th in the nation. Sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed is leading the way, as he's thrown for 1,770 yards, with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions, while adding 241 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

Penn State job speculation continues

While Penn State alum and current Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has been closely connected to the Nittany Lions job since the school fired James Franklin, other names continue to get tossed around.

Indiana's Curt Cignetti would appear to be off the list as he signed a new, monster extension to remain with the Hoosiers. Given the job he's doing at Texas A&M it makes sense that Elko would be tied to the job opening, but it's clear he finds the speculation funny.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Texas A&M Coach Mike Elko Gives Hilarious Response to Penn State Speculation.

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