Quiet off-season interrupted by departures and hirings of Irish football coaches

 

Notre Dame football under Coach Brian Kelly has a reputation for providing a stressful and eventful off-season.  Kelly has a track record of recruits changing their commitment from Notre Dame at the last minute or after signing day.

In recent years, notable recruits like Tee Shepard, Deontay Greenberry, and Eddie Vanderdoes did not follow through on their commitments and went on to pursue college football elsewhere.  Kelly received plenty of flak for these defections, but this year held no surprises or loose ends for the Irish football program.

Someone spoke too soon.

Former running backs coach Tony Alford, defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks, and quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur will be elsewhere next season.

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer lured Alford to be the running backs coach for the reigning national champions only days after National Signing Day.  Alford will inherit the Buckeye’s star running back, Ezekiel Elliot.  Notre Dame commit Dexter Williams, whom Alford recruited away from Miami, tweeted his displeasure with Alford’s decision: “Feel betrayed but it is what it is.”   Alford was with the Irish for 6 seasons, dating all the way back to the Charlie Weis era.

Cooks departs for the defensive backs job at Oklahoma University.  Cooks is originally from Dallas, so a job in Norman seemed like a closer fit to home.  The Sooners, led by Bob Stoops, ranked 56th in points for opponents and gave up over 270 passing yards a game last year.  Cooks’ successful track record will certainly be welcomed by the Sooners.

LaFleur is heading to the Atlanta Falcons as quarterbacks coach after spending one season with the Irish in the same position.  LaFleur previously spent time with the Houston Texans as an offensive assistant and with the Washington Redskins as their quarterbacks coach.  LaFleur took charge of developing quarterbacks Malik Zaire and DeShone Kizer while at Notre Dame.

As the old adage goes, all good things must come to an end.  This includes coaching tenures.  At the same time, change can often be like a breath of fresh air.

Todd Lyght, Mike Sanford, and Autry Denson will arrive at Notre Dame to fill the roles of the departing coaches.

Lyght will fill the role of his forerunner Cooks as defensive backs coach.  Lyght played 12 seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams as a defensive back and was named to the 1999 All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams during the 1999 Rams Super Bowl Season.  His coaching career started at Notre Dame recruiting hole Bishop Gorman High School as an assistant.  From there, Lyght served as a defensive intern for the Oregon Ducks before making a trip to the Philadelphia Eagles with Coach Chip Kelly as the assistant defensive backs coach.

Sanford departs from Boise State to be Brian Kelly’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.  Sanford helped achieve high success on offense with the Broncos last year en route to a 12-2 season and Fiesta Bowl win.  The Broncos finished 9th in scoring, 24th in passing yards, and 31st in rushing yards.  Sanford is considered one of the brightest minds in college football at 32 years young.  He himself was quarterback at Boise State from 2000-2004. Sanford served as a recruiter and coordinator for Stanford and was also with Urban Meyer at Utah, when the Utes finished 21-2 in two seasons.

A more familiar face for Irish eyes returns to South Bend in Autry Denson.  Denson is Notre Dame’s all-time leading rusher with 4,448 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns.  He had a short tenure in the NFL with less than 250 total rushing yards in his career.  Before coming to Notre Dame, Denson had reportedly accepted the running backs title with the University of South Florida.  He now claims that same position at Notre Dame.

Quick Hits

Former Kelly assistant and Buffalo Bills coach Jeff Quinn reportedly accepted a position with Notre Dame, but those rumors are still unconfirmed going back to the beginning of February.

Spring practice will begin later than usual for the Fighting Irish.  The frigid temperatures heading into March will push the opening session to March 18.

Progress on the Campus Crossroads Project is ahead of schedule, according to University President Father John Jenkins.  However, it is yet to be seen if the Irish will hold its spring Blue-Gold game in Notre Dame Stadium.  The most obvious relocation rumors point towards Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis or Soldier Field in Chicago.

Jonathan Mehall is a senior at Holy Cross College majoring in communication with a minor in sports management.  Contact Jonathan at jmehall66@gmail.com.