Duke football hires Texas A&M linebackers coach Tyler Santucci as defensive coordinator
For the fifth time in his relatively young coaching career, Tyler Santucci is coming to work for Mike Elko.
This time, he’ll have more responsibility than ever.
Duke hired the 34-year-old Santucci as its new defensive coordinator on Tuesday, reuniting Santucci and Elko after they had previously worked together at Wake Forest, Notre Dame, and twice at Texas A&M.
“I am excited to welcome Tyler, his wife Arielle, and their daughter Liana into our Duke football family,” said Elko, entering his second season as Duke’s head football coach. “I’ve known Tyler for quite a while and I’m confident he’ll be a great fit for us here in Durham. His work ethic, leadership, passion and understanding of the sport made him an easy choice for this opportunity. I am eager to see our defense reach new heights under his direction.”
Santucci, linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator at Texas A&M last season, replaces Robb Smith, who left Duke’s staff for personal reasons to be with family in Minnesota.
Santucci first worked with Elko in 2014-15 at Wake Forest, when Elko was defensive coordinator and Santucci was a graduate assistant. In 2017 they worked together at Notre Dame, with Elko as defensive coordinator and Santucci a defensive analyst.
When Elko moved to Texas A&M as defensive coordinator in 2018, Santucci accompanied him as a defensive analyst.
After coaching linebackers at Wake Forest in 2019, Santucci moved to Texas A&M to coach linebackers in 2020 and 2021 with Elko the Aggies’ defensive coordinator.
When Elko came to Duke, leading the Blue Devils to a 9-4 record and Military Bowl win last season, Santucci became Texas A&M’s co-defensive coordinator.
Now, he’ll be running a defense all on his own for the first time.
“Coach Elko and staff have done a remarkable job over this past year of laying the foundation for the future of the Duke football program,” Santucci said. “I am looking forward to building and sustaining meaningful relationships with our student-athletes as we help them chase their dreams. My wife Arielle, daughter Liana, and myself could not be more excited to begin the next chapter of our lives in Bull City.”
A standout linebacker during his college playing days at Stony Brook, Santucci was elected to his alma mater’s Hall of Fame last year. The first scholarship football player in the program’s history when it moved up to the Football Championship Subdivision level, Santucci was an Associated Press all-American and the Big South defensive player of the year as a senior in 2010.
Santucci began his coaching career at Stony Brook in 2011 as a graduate assistant working with defensive line for two seasons. He then coached the team’s safeties in 2013.
“My family and I are grateful for the opportunity to join this prestigious university and football program here at Duke,” Santucci said. “I would like to thank Coach Elko and (athletics director) Nina King for believing in me to lead and coordinate the defense.”
He takes over a Duke defense that allowed 22.1 points per game last season, No. 31 nationally and fifth-best in the ACC.
This story was originally published January 24, 2023 at 6:00 PM.