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Texas A&M added a key piece to the defensive staff on Wednesday night.
The team added former James Madison defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill to fill a senior assistant role. Hemphill spent 1 season as the DC at James Madison in 2024 and previously worked with Elko at Duke in 2022 and 2023.
Hemphill joins a Texas A&M squad that finished No. 34 in scoring defense, No. 42 in rushing defense, No. 90 in passing defense, and No. 63 in total defense in 2024. Meanwhile, Hemphill’s Dukes finished with the No. 23 total defense in the coach’s first season at the helm.
Hemphill graduated from Ursinus College in Pennsylvania in 2002. The coach began his career the same year as a defensive assistant at Division III Delaware Valley. He then spent 2 seasons there before becoming an assistant at Delaware for the 2004 season.
Hemphill spent time at Hofstra, Delaware again, and Stony Brook before joining Dave Clawson’s Wake Forest staff in 2017. While coaching the Wake Forest defense, Hemphill was instrumental in developing Jessie Bates III and Carlos Basham Jr., who would both go on to be high draft picks in the NFL.
Now, Hemphill will be reunited with Elko in College Station. He previously served as a co-defensive coordinator under Elko at Duke, and the same could happen now with Jay Bateman in place as the DC.
Elko impressed many during his first season with the Aggies. He led the team to an 8-4 regular-season record and earned an appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.
