Polian Adjusting to New Role

Brian Polian is no stranger to Notre Dame, but that doesn’t mean he knows the talent he has available to him on special teams a few months into the job.

After a three-year stint as the head coach at Nevada, Polian returned to Notre Dame to coach special teams, and he is currently working through the roster to see where the pieces fit.

“I looked at everything,” Polian said on Wednesday. “I probably looked at everything twice just to figure out who could do what and where I felt we needed a little bit of help. I refused to draw a conclusion on everyone too. Everyone gets to start with a clean slate, and I try not to let the opinions cloud what’s happening now.

“I’ve been doing this long enough that I know what I want it to look like. I have studied Virginia Tech. Charlie (Weis) and I went down with Coach Beamer in my time here previously. I am always visiting with other kicking game coaches. This has been my passion for 21 years.”

Notre Dame’s players have taken special teams seriously, but Polian wants a continued focus and excitement.

“The previous stint as a head coach, I made sure that culture came from the top down and Coach is doing the same thing here,” he explained. “He has been incredibly supportive of everything we are trying to get established. That sends the message that ‘Hey, this is important.’”
 
CJ Sanders, Chris Finke, and Equanimeous St. Brown are getting looks at punt return right now, and Polian plans on trying out multiple guys at multiple spots this spring.

“We’re still kind of working through that,” said Polian of finding roles. “It’s spring time. There is a little bit of a gong show mentality. If a guy says, ‘Hey, can I get a look?’

“We are doing that right now at long snapper. Can we find a second and third long snapper? Kier Murphy, a walk-on linebacker, came up and wanted to try snapping. Things like that, it’s a little bit of a gong show mentality. Who can do what? Let’s stay after practice and figure it out.”  

Going from a head coach to an assistant coach isn’t an easy transition for anyone and Polian is working to get comfortable at his role.

“It has been an adjustment,” explained Polian. “I am sure every guy that has been a head coach and went back to an assistant has been through it. I’m working in the structure that Coach Kelly sets, and he knows exactly how he wants things done. Sometimes I have to knock on his door at times during the day to make sure I am on the page.

“I’m over communicating with him right now. It’s probably annoying him a little. I want to be right because it’s my job to give him exactly what he wants.”

The John Carroll (Ohio) alum admitted his role has been refreshing. No longer is he in charge of an entire team, and there isn’t so much on his plate away from the field.

“When a guy misses a class when you’re the head coach, you’re in charge of 105,” stated Polian. “Now, I have the six specialists, and they don’t miss class.

“I’m not having to go out and raise money. Being able to just focus on coaching football and the nuts and bolts of coaching football has been a relief. It’s been fun.”

Recruiting has also been a change for Polian. The responsibilities and communication are far different than being a head coach, and that’s more than fine with Polian.   

“There are times I find myself stepping back and looking at it from the big picture, but I think that’s healthy sometimes,” Polian said of his role. “The focusing on my regional recruits as opposed to the whole class, I have enjoyed being back on the daily trail. Anytime your role changes, there is an adjustment that comes with it, and you do the best you can.”