After Texas A&M football finished its first season under coach Mike Elko with a 35-31 loss to USC in the Las Vegas Bowl, Elko declared that he “won’t watch a defense play like this ever again.”
He made his first offseason addition to the Aggies’ coaching staff on Wednesday, hiring James Madison defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill as a senior assistant, according to TexAgs’ Billy Liucci. Hemphill also coached alongside Elko at Duke in 2022 and 2023, and at Hofstra from 2006 to 2008.
In their first season under defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, the Aggies were 63rd in the nation in terms of yards surrendered per game and 35th in terms of points allowed per game (22.2). A&M ranked 90th in passing defense (232.2 yards per game) and 43rd in rushing defense (135.2 yards per game).
Hemphill managed a squad that allowed 20.5 points and 321.8 yards per game during his one season at James Madison. It allowed 206.5 passing yards and 115.4 running yards per game. The Dukes ended 9-4, including a win in the Boca Raton Bowl, and 4-4 in the Sun Belt Conference.
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Hemphill came to James Madison following two seasons at Duke, where he taught safeties and was the Blue Devils’ co-defensive coordinator in 2023. Elko was Duke’s head coach for those two years, during which the program improved to a 17-9 record.
In 2023, the Blue Devils had the best defense in the ACC, allowing only 19 points per game, ranking 16th in the country. Five defenders were named All-ACC, including safety Brandon Johnson, who received Honorable Mention.
Hemphill was Wake Forest’s safeties coach from 2017 to 2021, while Elko was the defensive coordinator and safeties coach from 2014 to 2016 before moving to A&M. Hemphill was elevated to co-defensive coordinator for the Demon Deacons prior of the 2019 season.
Wake Forest reached a bowl game in each of Hemphill’s five seasons with the program, compiling a 38-24 record during that time. In three seasons with Hemphill as co-defensive coordinator, the Demon Deacons went 23-13, including an 11-3 record in 2021, when they reached the ACC title game.
Wake Forest was one of only three FBS teams over that period to record at least 13 interceptions per season. Hemphill coached 14 defensive players to 17 All-ACC honors while at Winston-Salem.
From 2011 to 2016, Hemphill was the safeties coach at Stony Brook, and for the final four seasons, he served as defensive coordinator. Elko began his coaching career with the Seawolves as a graduate assistant in 1999.
In 2015, Hemphill was named FCS Defensive Coordinator of the Year by FootballScoop.com after Stony Brook had the nation’s top defense, allowing 250.1 yards per game. Over Hemphill’s final three seasons with the program, the Seawolves ranked in the top three nationally in total defense.
Hemphill returned to Delaware as cornerbacks coach in 2010, having previously worked as a graduate assistant for the Blue Hens in 2004 and 2005. From 2006 to 2009, Hemphill coached Hofstra’s defensive backs and special teams, with Elko serving as the team’s defensive coordinator during his first three seasons.
Hemphill graduated from Ursinus College in 2002, having played safety for the football team for four seasons. He began his coaching career at Delaware Valley College in 2002, where he oversaw the Aggies’ defensive backfield and special teams.
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