Report: Elko Hiring Lea As LB Coach

Mike Elko will have at least one familiar face in South Bend this year, according to Sports Illustrated.

SI’s Pete Thamel has a new report out this morning saying Notre Dame’s new defensive coordinator will hire Clark Lea, who served as linebackers coach under Elko at Wake Forest, to coach the same position with the Irish.

Lea, who is 35, coached linebackers for three years at Syracuse before landing at Wake Forest a year ago. He graduated from Vanderbilt and coached at UCLA, Bowling Green and South Dakota State prior to Syracuse.

A source at Notre Dame said they were "unable to confirm" Lea's potential hiring.

Still, the makeup of the coaching staff under Elko on the defensive side of the ball appears to be gaining clarity.

It’s assumed recruiting coordinator Mike Elston will return in some capacity. He’s coached linebackers and defensive line in his time at Notre Dame. With Lea coming to South Bend, we'd imagine Elston would be ticketed for a return to coaching the defensive line, which could result in Keith Gilmore being on his way out.

Again, Notre Dame has yet to confirm any of these hires, but if Thamel’s report is correct, that looks to be the way things would shake out.

No indication just yet on the future of Irish defensive backs coach Todd Lyght.