Jason Garrett won’t be heading to Duke after all. Garrett, who was recently let go as Giants offensive coordinator, had been rumored as the frontrunner to replace David Cutcliffe in Durham, but lost out to Mike Elko, who was introduced as head coach late Friday night. This is Elko’s first head-coaching assignment following defensive coordinator stints at Wake Forest, Notre Dame, and most recently, Texas A&M.
Along with Garrett, the Blue Devils also considered Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, Army coach Jeff Monken, Cowboys assistant George Edwards (a former linebacker at Duke) and Tony Elliott, who withdrew after accepting the head-coaching position at Virginia hours earlier.
Known for his mentorship of NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning (he was Peyton’s offensive coordinator at Tennessee before coaching Eli at Ole Miss), Cutcliffe spent 14 seasons at Duke, compiling an overall 77-97 record with six bowl appearances including wins in the Pinstripe, Quick Lane and Independence Bowls in 2015, 2017 and 2018 respectively. Along with the Manning siblings, Cutcliffe was also instrumental in developing Daniel Jones, who Garrett coached for parts of two seasons in New York.
A former QB who logged 12 seasons in the NFL (mostly as a backup), Garrett’s coaching career has stalled of late following a disastrous turn in New York, overseeing a stagnant Giants offense before ultimately being cast as Joe Judge’s sacrificial lamb. And while Garrett finished his Dallas tenure with a winning record (85-67), he was largely seen as an underachiever, never advancing past the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs despite star-studded rosters. Still, Duke’s interest would suggest he’ll land somewhere with college perhaps serving as his easiest road to redemption.
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