DURHAM – Duke head football coach Mike Elko announced Thursday that Ishmael Aristide will join the Blue Devil gridiron program and serve as an assistant coach. Aristide will coach Duke's cornerbacks.
Aristide and Elko served on the defensive staff together at Texas A&M University from 2019-20, helping the Aggies to a two-year ledger of 17-6 and victories in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl and Capital One Orange Bowl. Aristide was a senior defensive analyst and secondary assistant during his time in College Station.
He comes to Durham after a one-year stint on staff at the University of Miami, mentoring the outside linebackers. The Hurricanes finished the 2021 season with a 7-5 mark and an invitation to the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. Aristide mentored Amari Carter and Gilbert Frierson during his lone season. Carter finished third on the team with 45 tackles, three tackles for loss, one interception and two quarterback hurries, while Frierson chipped in with 41 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and one sack.
Prior to his time in Coral Gables, Aristide served two years with Elko at Texas A&M. During his time there, he worked with a defense that ranked No. 9 in FBS in total defense (317.3 yards per game) in 2020, leading the SEC in that category and ranking No. 4 among Power 5 schools. Texas A&M ended that season ranked No. 2 in the country in rushing defense, allowing just 92 yards per game.
Aristide's previous two seasons (2017-18) were spent at Mississippi University (Ole Miss) serving as the senior defensive analyst and secondary assistant. While in Oxford, he collaborated with co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Jason Jones to help with the secondary, game planning, opponent scout, and film breakdown.
His coaching career started at Auburn University in 2016, where he was a defensive graduate assistant coach. During that season, the Tigers finished with an 8-5 overall mark, including an appearance in the Sugar Bowl. Auburn concluded the year ranked No. 11 nationally in red zone defense (.744) and 28th in total defense (361.9 yards per game), which was up from 71st in 2015.
A 2013 graduate of Purdue University with a bachelor's degree in technology leadership and innovation, Aristide was a three-year letterman at safety (2010-11) and wide receiver (2012) and was also a member of the track & field program, earning three-time Big Ten Academic All-Conference honors. After graduating from college, he worked for Deloitte Consulting LLP from 2013-16 before joining the Tigers' coaching staff.