Texas A&M hires James Madison’s Defensive Coordinator

By Chris Marler

Texas A&M has made some changes to its defensive staff. The Aggies hired James Madison’s defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill as a senior assistant coach on his staff, as reported by Pete Nakos from On3. 

Hemphill worked under Mike Elko from 2022 to 2023 at Duke as a safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator. He was also the defensive coordinator at Wake Forest from 2019 to 2021.

The Aggies were looking for an upgrade in their pass defense, which was publicly ridiculed by Elko following their loss to Southern Cal in the bowl game. After the loss he said, “We can’t cover the forward pass well enough to be a good football team, and so that’s my fault.” 

The Aggies finished 91st in the country in pass defense and 12th in the SEC. Texas A&M opens up next season against UTSA on August 30th.