Family First As Todd Lyght Leaves Notre Dame

Todd Lyght loves the University of Notre Dame, but family comes first, which is why the former All-American cornerback won’t be back on the sidelines in South Bend next season.

“I will not be with the Irish in the 2020 season, but my plan is to finish out my contract and then move back to California to be with the fam,” Lyght told Irish Sports Daily.

“Last year, I moved my family out to California and got my kids in school out here.”

Lyght said when he returned to Notre Dame as a coach back in 2015, his plan was to be with the program for four or five years.

“We did a lot of good things,” he said. “I got an opportunity to work at the University that I love so dearly, work with Brian Kelly, which has been amazing. Working with all of these wonderful coaches has been great. Obviously, getting the opportunity to train and develop our student-athletes has been a dream come true for me.

“We did a lot of positives, not only for the program, but for the culture of the program. But after five years, it’s time for me to move on and find a new challenge and focus on the family.”

Lyght said his stint in South Bend as a coach was “great.”

“When I first got there, the program was in really, really good shape, won a lot of games, had a lot of wonderful players,” he said. “Our second year was very difficult with the changes to the staff and the growth we had to go through through the losing process. Part of the learning curve is being able to adjust, being able to get better through the adversity. We learned a lot, not only as coaches, but as a program.

“From that adversity, we rose and we’re one of the top programs in the country. Notre Dame is very, very close to winning a national championship. It’s wonderful to be a part of a program with such history and such tradition that is on the precipice of being THE program once again. It’s been great to be a part of that growth and I’m very blessed to have that opportunity.”

But being close to his family is extremely important.

“My kids are at the age now where I need to be around for their development and their growth,” he said. “I’m really excited about the future, not only for myself, but for my children, so it’s a really exciting time in my life.”

Lyght does plan on remaining in coaching somewhere on the West Coast.

“Absolutely. No question.”