Potential DC Candidates for Notre Dame
Brian Kelly had a huge decision to make after defensive coordinator Mike Elko unexpectedly left for Texas A&M. He could pursue someone outside of the program, like he did with Elko, or he could promote from within.
He chose the latter and went with the rising star in Clark Lea.
We can definitively say that Kelly made the right choice. Lea had a fantastic three season run at Notre Dame. His ability to game plan and adjust from week to week has been as good as any coordinator in college football. His defense was not only fundamentally sound, but they went above and beyond that. This season they emerged as one of the top Havoc producing groups in the nation and what they did against a prolific offense like North Carolina’s will be remembered for a long time.
The Irish have only lost three games while Lea was calling the defense. That pretty much sums up the impact he has had.
Needless to say, he won’t be an easy person to replace. Kelly has a decision to make again whether or not to promote from within or go outside of the program. The good news is that Lea helped make this a more attractive job if Kelly does decide to poach a coordinator from another program.
On the other hand, what Lea has helped to build on top of what Elko did is something that may be worth maintaining when it comes to scheme and staff chemistry.
We’ll see where things go, but here’s my list of potential internal and external candidates for the now open defensive coordinator job at Notre Dame.
Terry Joseph - Defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator
Don’t count out Joseph for the promotion. He has been very good in his role and earned his promotion to pass game coordinator.
The job he has done individually with the safeties has been impressive and the lack of busts on the back end of the defense has stood out since he came on board in 2018. His guys rarely make mistakes and that’s important when mistakes at that position mean the other team’s band will get to start playing.
He’s worked closely with Clark Lea, has been mentored by veteran defensive minds like Bo Pelini and John Chavis, and he’s on a logical path to start running his own defense soon. The question will be whether or not Kelly thinks he is ready to run Notre Dame’s defense.
This is the pick if it’s about continuity.
Mike Elston - Associate head coach/Defensive Line
Every Notre Dame fan is aware of Elston’s contributions to the defense. He’s done a stellar job with the defensive line in recent years and also coached linebackers for two seasons (2015 and 2016). He stepped in to run the defense when Brian VanGorder was fired and did an admirable job with a bad situation.
He is qualified to run the defense if Brian Kelly wants to go that route, but it’s unclear if that is the best option. It takes away from a role he is already really good at and it would put more focus on the defense as a whole rather than developing the defensive line. It’s likely he would move to coach linebackers again if Kelly made him the choice in my opinion.
He does a great job right now and I’m not sure Kelly will want to take away from that.
Mike Mickens - Cornerbacks coach
Maybe this seems premature to some, but remember that Lea was a one year position coach at Notre Dame before being promoted. It’s not out of the question for Kelly to tap Mickens if he sees the same potential.
He has done a good job with a group of cornerbacks that aren’t close to the most talented Notre Dame has had in recent years. He has also shown a great ability to connect as a recruiter. It might be a dark horse pick, but his name has to be on the list.
Seth Wallace - Assistant defensive coordinator/linebackers at Iowa
Wallace has been at Iowa since 2014 and has coached all three levels of the defense. He’s been the linebackers coach since 2016 and the assistant defensive coordinator there since 2017.
Iowa will never be mentioned as the flashiest program, but they have recruited and developed really well at linebacker and they consistently play great defense. Wallace has been a huge part of that with a defense that finished 6th in SP+ in 2019 and are currently 3rd. They were 8th in FEI in ‘19 and are 7th right now.
Iowa has held opponents to 25 points or less in their last 22 games. That’s longer than any team in the country. Including in those 22 games is last year’s USC squad, Penn State twice, and Wisconsin twice.
Phil Parker calls the defense there so this would be selecting a guy who hasn’t been in full control yet, but Wallace is very highly thought of and if he leaves Iowa, it will be to run his own defense. He also coaches a 4-2-5 where the “Cash” linebacker is essentially the same as Notre Dame’s Rover.
There is a connection to Lea as well. Wallace was mentored by Chuck Bullough as a high school coach in Illinois and Lea is a protege of Bullough’s from their time together at UCLA and Syracuse.
Alex Grinch - Defensive coordinator/safeties at Oklahoma
Grinch has taken over major rebuilding jobs at Washington State and Oklahoma. He hit home runs at both places. It’s amazing what he has done for the Sooners considering where they were when he took over.
He’s a creative coach who might welcome a gig that is set up to be more successful from the start, but who knows if he would be interested in a lateral move. He will eventually be a head coach so that’s on the table as well.
He’s originally from Ohio and that’s a plus. He runs more of a 3-3-5 and that would be a minus because I’m not sure Notre Dame will be interested in drastically changing what they are doing now. What he has done cannot be denied, though. The Sooners are currently sixth in Havoc Rate.
Jon Heacock - Defensive coordinator/safeties at Iowa State
A candidate when Lea was promoted, it’s clear that Kelly has a lot of respect for the job Heacock has done at Iowa State. Though he runs an odd front at Iowa State (3-3-5), Heacock has been adaptable to the talent around him. It doesn’t necessarily mean he will run the same thing if he was at a different program.
It’s really hard to argue with the results he has had despite his group having less talent than most of the programs he faces on a week to week basis. It’s hard to be innovative in football today, but Heacock has proven it can be done. Many have tried to take pieces of what he has done with three high safeties.
Normally a coach who has been calling defenses for so long at five different schools is stuck in his ways. That’s the opposite of Heacock. Iowa State is 13th in SP+ this season and 18th in FEI. He coached many years in the Midwest so it wouldn’t be a surprising move if he was offered the job.
Brent Pry - Defensive coordinator/linebackers at Penn State
Is this likely? Not at all. He’s got a high profile job already and has been with James Franklin since 2011. But what Pry has done at Penn State means he’s someone worth exploring to see if there’s interest.
Everything is down for them this season, but he’s done a great job for many years. PSU didn’t finish worse than 11th in SP+ and 12th in FEI in the previous three seasons. If Notre Dame is looking for a splashy hire, not exactly a common occurrence under Kelly, then Pry would be a strong candidate.
Scottie Hazelton - Defensive coordinator at Michigan State
Hazelton has a strong record of success at several stops. He did an outstanding job at FCS national champion North Dakota State, had a top-10 defense in SP+ at Wyoming, helped Kansas State make a significant improvement in 2019, and has a top-30 defense in SP+ and FEI at Michigan State. Sparty isn’t exactly loaded with studs compared to some previous years so that’s an accomplishment.
Hazelton also has a connection to Brian Polian. He was Nevada’s defensive coordinator in Polian’s first season.
Marcus Freeman - Defensive coordinator/linebackers at Cincinnati
The former Ohio State star has done a very good job with the Bearcats defense. They have been on a steady rise since 2017. They were up to 32nd in SP+ in 2019 and currently 4th in the country. FEI had his defense 17th last season and they’re 3rd this year. His defense is 16th in Havoc Rate.
He checks every box in terms of fit (similar scheme, great recruiter, great position coach, from the Midwest). There are several reasons why he would be on the list of any major program looking for a new defensive coordinator. It is worth noting that Luke Fickell does have a large say in the defense, though. He has had a significant influence on the success of that defense as well.
Mickens is also someone he worked with at Cincinnati so there should be immediate chemistry there. They are close.
The question would be if he was looking to make a move. Fickell is going to be mentioned for any big opening and it would make sense for him to go with him. Even if Fickell were to stay, it’s not a given that Freeman would want to leave knowing the direction things may be headed.
Maurice Crum Jr. - Co-defensive coordinator/linebackers at Western Kentucky
He’s the co-DC and not the full coordinator at Western Kentucky, that would be Clayton White, but there is no doubt that Crum Jr. is someone worth monitoring. The defense at WKU has been good (29th in SP+) and he is someone who has earned rave reviews when he was at Notre Dame coaching (graduate assistant in 2015) and the stops after that.
He’s probably not a realistic candidate for the DC job at Notre Dame right now, but if Notre Dame is looking strictly for a linebackers coach, the former Irish linebacker should be a strong candidate for the job.
Tyler Stockton - Defensive coordinator/inside linebackers at Ball State
A former player for Kelly, Stockton went into coaching after his playing career was over with a graduate assistant job under Bob Diaco at Connecticut. So he not only has a connection from his playing days, but he was also at UCONN when Matt Balis was their strength and conditioning coach.
Much like his former teammate Tommy Rees, Stockton has advanced quickly and is in his first year as a DC at Ball State. I don’t believe he is a realistic candidate for the job at this time, but his defense is 17th in Havoc Rate and he’s Ball State’s nominee for the Broyles Award as the top assistant in the country. Like Crum, he’s a candidate for the linebacker job if it opens up.
Jay Bateman - Co-defensive coordinator/safeties at North Carolina
Bateman is a huge reason why Army went from doormat to a respectable program. Despite having limited talent to work with, he made his units respectable (including a top-25 finish in yards per play in 2016). Even the defense he is coaching at UNC is limited with the number of injuries and opt outs they had, but he’s made them play above their talent level.
Notre Dame fans saw firsthand how he was able to disrupt things with unpredictable pressures and give his guys a chance. This is more of an inclusion because I respect what he’s done rather than being impressed by the numbers. He’s a good ball coach.
NFL Position Coaches
There isn’t one obvious guy in the NFL with a connection back to Notre Dame or Kelly that would make sense, but there are a few names that I thought would be worth mentioning.
Matt House (Linebackers with the Kansas City Chiefs) was the defensive coordinator at the University of Kentucky before leaving for the Chiefs in 2019. His final year at Kentucky they were 15th in SP+ and 21st in FEI. They were 9th in Havoc Rate. He’s had numerous stops in the NFL and was also the DC for Pitt from 2012-2014 and FIU in 2015 before being hired at Kentucky.
Chris Hewitt (Pass defense coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens) was an assistant strength coach at Notre Dame back in 2003, but that is more coincidence than a reason for him being named here. He’s someone who probably deserved a chance to run his own defense awhile ago in the NFL, but hasn’t had that opportunity yet. Maybe that opportunity will come first in college football if he wants it.
Gerald Alexander (Defensive backs with the Miami Dolphins) is a rising star in the coaching community. He’s done a good job with Miami and was outstanding developing players at Cal before that.
Demeco Ryans (Inside linebackers coach with the San Francisco 49ers) is another rising star in coaching who works with former Kelly graduate assistant Robert Saleh. Saleh is probably going to get an NFL head coaching job soon and Ryans may be his defensive coordinator, but he’s thought of so highly that he’s someone who would be worth exploring if Notre Dame was interested in going outside of college football.