Mike Elko gives the advantage to Riley Leonard heading into the Notre Dame-Texas A&M matchup

The familiarity between Notre Dame football , Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko , and Irish starting quarterback Riley Leonard has been a big talking point leading up to the season opener Saturday night in Kyle Field. When it comes to Coach Elko and Leonard, the two haven’t been shy about their relationship, and deep admiration for the other.

Elko was available for the media on Wednesday, during which he was asked about Leonard several times. A to Z Sports New York Jets writer, and cohost of “God Bless Football” with Jon "Stugotz" Weiner and Billy Gil, Mike Antoniou was available for that media availability.

Coach Elko was asked about which side had the leg up due to his experience, and relationship with Leonard. He thinks the advantage goes to the blue and gold.

“I have an unbelievable amount of respect for Riley and what he did for us at Duke,” Coach Elko said. “I do think he has the leg up, because I think the amount of snaps he's taken against this defensive structure, when you talk about every day at practice for two years, I think there's some built in knowledge of what we do that we're gonna have to be really careful how we present things to him.”

For the Aggies, it’s going to be about understanding the full talent of Leonard, and what he brings to the table. There’s nobody that knows him better than Elko. The head coach has played a big role, obviously, in helping his team prepare for the dual threat signal caller. That has been a main priority.

“I think you have to be really conscious about what he knows and make sure that you do things the right way,” Elko explained. “We understand him. We understand his strengths, we understand the challenge that he presents, and I think it's just making sure our kids are on par with all of that.”

While Leonard and Elko may be competing against each other this week, the relationship they have built will continue after. The Aggie coach, even through transition and chaos, has valued that bond.

“We talked kind of towards the end of the summer before football started,” said Coach Elko. “I also sent him a text congratulating him on being named a captain. But outside of that, you're not having a ton of conversation. It's just about getting through this opener, and then hopefully he'll continue to root for me. I know I'll continue to root for him and get on with the rest of our seasons.”

There are so many storylines around this season opener, one that would be massive for the Irish to come out on top. Texas A&M is a team in transition, but one that is extremely talented. Does Leonard and the Irish truly have the leg up? We will know very soon.