Potential Notre Dame Head Coaching Candidates
Well, here we go.
The BK era is over. At least it will be at 7am tomorrow morning. On to the next one.
Who might that next one be? Jack Swarbrick should have plenty of strong candidates to choose from.
Marcus Freeman - Notre Dame Defensive Coordinator
All Freeman has done is take over a defense that lost its best linebacker in camp and then lost it’s All-American safety halfway through the year and he still managed to lead a top-15 defense in SP+ and FEI.
They are coming off a dominant November and are playing their best football at the moment.
The man can coach and he also has a dynamic personality. He’s the best recruiter they’ve had as a coordinator during the Brian Kelly and second isn’t all that close. It would be a smart move to give him the interim tag to give him a shot to lead right now and also see how he can keep the recruiting classes together.
He hasn’t been a head coach, but that didn’t stop Lincoln Riley from having success despite him having no previous experience.
Luke Fickell - Cincinnati head coach
Fickell has played and coached big time football at Ohio State. He’s recruited at the highest level and has been part of championship programs working for Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer. The level Notre Dame is at will not be a difficult adjustment for him.
He’s also done a tremendous job as a head coach at Cincinnati. He’s upgraded the talent level and done a great job of building his staff (Notre Dame poached two assistants). It’s not just been a one-year wonder either. This is the third out of four seasons he has won 11-games and the only reason he didn’t win 11 last year was because they only played 10.
It’s not just that his team won in the AAC. They also hung with a much more talented Georgia squad in the Sugar Bowl and the Bearcats are the only team to beat Brian Kelly at home since the 2017 season.
It’s an added bonus that he's from the midwest. It’s essential to him that his teams play physical, sound football. He has to be one of the top choices.
Matt Rhule - Carolina Panthers head coach
It’s been a bit of a struggle for Rhule in the NFL with the Panthers. He’s had quarterback issues and only having his best player, Christian McCaffrey, for six full games in two years isn’t a recipe for success.
If he wants to come back to college football, Notre Dame feels like an ideal destination. He built Temple from the ground up and then did the same at Baylor, highlighted by an 11-1 finish in year three.
The trademark for his teams is toughness and he’s been great at identifying and developing talent. The timing might not work out, but calling him is something that would be a smart decision.
Dave Clawson - Wake Forest head coach
Dave Clawson? Sure, he’s not the sexiest name on the list, but anyone who can get Wake Forest to 10 wins can coach and he’s made them a winning program.
His offense is unique, but successful. It’s a top-10 group in F+ and they don’t exactly land the kind of recruits who would be takes at many top Power-5 schools.
The big question with him would be that the defense has dropped off there considerably after he lost Mike Elko as a coordinator.
This is a better situation for him to take over than any he has had before. He normally has had to rebuild. Then again, it’s a different beast to to take over one that’s close and bring it over the hump. That’s the assignment at Notre Dame.
Matt Campbell - Iowa State head coach
His stock has fallen after a disappointing season where the Big 12 appeared to be ripe for the picking and he brought back a veteran team. Let’s not forget that he has made Iowa State (Iowa freaking State!) a winner and that has been an almost impossible task.
His program evaluates and develops extremely well. He has proven he can adapt when needed to like they did on defense. I would have to believe he is lower on the list given his recent record, but he’s still a name on the list that is worth monitoring.
Tommy Rees - Notre Dame offensive coordinator
His age and his lack of overall experience might suggest that this might be too soon. Maybe it is, but it can’t be argued that he knows the program as well as anyone and is maturing into an excellent offensive coordinator.
He’s more of a dark horse candidate than Freeman because Freeman has those extra years on him, been around more programs, and he’s made a bigger splash as a recruiter.
I wouldn’t count Rees out to at least be part of the process and he’s going to be a head coach one day. We’ll see if it’s his time now and if that could be at his alma mater.
Dave Aranda - Baylor head coach
Aranda doesn’t have the same amount of experience running a program compared to some others, but he has Baylor in the Big 12 title game in year one and a half and they are playing really good ball. They’re top-15 in F+ and he made a savvy hire at offensive coordinator to help propel them up to the level they’re at now.
Previously one of the top defensive coordinators in college football, he has coached in several different regions so he shouldn’t be labeled as someone who only fits at a certain program. Is there enough evidence for him to make a jump to a program like Notre Dame? Maybe not, but his star is on the rise.
Mario Cristobal - Oregon head coach
I’m not sure if Cristobal is a fit or how high up on the list he would be if he was, but his Oregon teams have been strong up front and he’s recruited at an elite level. Notre Dame could do a lot worse than someone who has taken Oregon up a notch and made them nationally relevant.
Brian Daboll - Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator
The former Alabama offensive coordinator is likely going to end up with an NFL head coaching job, but that hasn’t happened yet. He’s done a great job developing Josh Allen and is known as one of the most innovative offensive minds in the game currently.
Pat Fitzgerald - Northwestern head coach
Just kidding. I think it’s nearly impossible he even gets a deep look with how things have gone at Northwestern. Two of the last three seasons they have finished with a 3-9 record.