The offseason is upon us and most of the new coaching staffs have been settled in since National Signing Day. That's given CBS some time to think about who made the best hires of the offseason and the answer is apparently Jimbo Fisherr hiring Mike Elko away from Notre Dame. Here's what CBS had to say about the defensive coordinator:
When Brian Kelly hired Mike Elko away from Wake Forest last offseason to revamp his defense after a 4-8 season, it was hailed as a forward-thinking move. But after helping drive Notre Dame to a 10-3 turnaround, Elko is no longer a hipster pick as a defensive guru, he's gone mainstream. Some of college football's biggest names came knocking this offseason and it took nearly $2 million for Jimbo Fisher to lure Elko to College Station. But for an offensive coach in need of a strong defensive counterpart in the rugged SEC West, it was the most critical hire of the offseason. Elko proved to be a dynamic recruiter in his year at Notre Dame and his defenses are disciplined and disruptive. He gives Jimbo Fisher his best defensive coordinator since Jeremy Pruitt in Florida State's 2013 national title season.
Elko should make the Aggies a solid defensive team even in the SEC West and will hopefully give them a chance to succeed in year one. The rest of the list includes Ohio State's Alex Grinch, Washington's Bush Hamdan, Arkansas' John Chavis, Florida State making two hires, Alabama making two hires, Houston's Kendal Briles, Arizona State making two hires and Maryland hiring Matt Canada.
