ND Coaching Search Megathread

[ulukinatme]

We won't tolerate revisiting Marcus Freeman until AT LEAST three plays into the Ohio State game.

Pfft! I already started the thread "We Tackle Like Shit, Freeman Must Quit" after the FSU game this season. It's too late!

 

[NDFAN420]

What if our next WR coach is already on staff and we get Alford or another RB coach? I think that might satisfy the hoi polloi.

 

[NDisme]

Only thing worrisome for me is if it is Heistand if kids now and going forward can take his coaching style. Unless he’s mellowed a bit idk

 

[NDFAN2008]

I’m leaning towards seeing what Del has 1 more year I honestly think part of his problem was Brian Kelly. For some reason he doesn’t like playing Freshman unless he’s forced too or he likes to play the upper class men over more talented younger guys we saw this in the past. The only way I’m not on board bringing tell back is if it means losing guys to transfer.

 

[NDIrish88]

Saw Erik Hansen think WR job will be open.
https://twitter.com/EHansenNDI/status/1474141121886437381

 

[Whiskeyjack]

The only way I’m not on board bringing tell back is if it means losing guys to transfer.

Then you're not on board with keeping Del, as that's basically guaranteed if he stays. His departure is apparently a necessary condition of holding onto to both Styles and Colzie.

 

[Dale]

I’m leaning towards seeing what Del has 1 more year I honestly think part of his problem was Brian Kelly. For some reason he doesn’t like playing Freshman unless he’s forced too or he likes to play the upper class men over more talented younger guys we saw this in the past. The only way I’m not on board bringing tell back is if it means losing guys to transfer.

This is I can tell going to become a fallacy amongst ND fans, that everything we perceive as negative was a BK thing. Kelly played freshman plenty. Wide receivers in particular don’t play as FR nearly as much around the country as folks may think, certainly don’t at OSU. Lenzy himself said in interviews this week:

”If a freshman doesn’t play as a freshman he’s just not good enough. The first freshman that I saw that was ready to play was ‘Zo. And ‘Zo played. You’re mistaken if you think we weren’t trying to play freshmen. Realistically, who’s spot was going to be taken? Not to be rude, but there wasn’t a situation. I understand as fans that you want to get young guys acclimated. Well, now it’s starting to happen with The Portal. But it’s a matter of depth. The middle classes (2019-20), well, they left! The freshmen stayed. When they were ready to play they played. I couldn’t play as a freshman, y’all saw. And I didn’t play. Anyone that doesn’t think (they’ll play right away) isn’t a football player. But it took me about two periods (of his first practice) to realize I couldn’t catch.”

 

[chicago51]

If Del is back I would consider it more alarming than I would have if they just announced it already. Let me explain.

I don’t think this is a matter of TR or MF wanting Del back so much as it is they haven’t lined up a replacement. If they actually want to him back why haven’t they announced it? At the very least they seem to be shopping for his replacement . If they weren’t shopping he’d have a new deal by now. If he’s back I will take it as there was nothing good available at the store.

It’s kind of like the old advice saying you don’t quit your job till you have a job lined up. Quinn is out because they got someone lined up. Del will be out if they can line someone up.

Anyway to me it is more alarming to me that the new staff misjudges a coach, than if they know the coach is weak but are incapable of finding someone better. Head coaches get hires wrong sometimes. I think it is worse though if you know a hire is wrong but you can’t get anyone better.

 

[NDFAN420]

Wait until all the bowls have been played to get alarmed. The coaches they want are most likely preparing their teams to play important games.

 

[irishtrain]

Good grief. Dabo, Ryan Day, and Kirby Smart are first time head coaches. Jimbo Fisher at FSU was a first time head coach. ND is not some special place that prevents first time HCs from succeeding. If first time HCs failed everywhere else, it would be a different matter.

As for Kelly, let's not go nuts. This was not "lightning in a bottle." We beat that the teams we should have beaten in 2018 and 2020. Every other year we had at least one inexplicable loss to a mediocre team and often multiple such losses. He was certainly an improvement over "awful," but given our resources and schedule (we have more talent than 9-10 of the teams that we play every year), 10-2 should be the floor every year.

Totally different situation at those schools they give the coach the ok to do whats needed to get em in ( within the rules allowed by NCAA ) here its different and Kelly was a master at maneuvering thru it.

 

[Dale]

Totally different situation at those schools they give the coach the ok to do whats needed to get em in ( within the rules allowed by NCAA ) here its different and Kelly was a master at maneuvering thru it.

Dabo certainly didn’t wield that type of power when he took over nor did Clemson run the factory they do today. Kirby runs the Saban playbook, Day the Urban Meyer playbook, why can’t Freeman (and Rees) run the BK playbook on certain aspects? Not to mention Tressel.

 

[chicago51]

Totally different situation at those schools they give the coach the ok to do whats needed to get em in ( within the rules allowed by NCAA ) here its different and Kelly was a master at maneuvering thru it.

Yep. MF even said at his last press conference that it seems like when he tries to really sit down and game plan, something comes up as head coach of ND.

I'm a huge believer in the move but the downside is when you are head coach of ND, you spend less time actually coaching and teaching the players. We lose Marcus Freeman as a teacher and defensive player developer to a large degree going forward . We were going to lose that anyway if not this year then after next year.

At least with MF being our head coach we get on smaller scale of what he did for our defense this year plus we get the benefit of his leadership team wide. But yeah being ND entails a lot of other stuff besides actually coaching the team.

With Kelly it was fine except for the times we had bad hires (BVG), because ND was largely better off with assistants coaching the team and Kelly himself coaching the team as a little as possible.

 

[Dizzyphil]

Dabo certainly didn’t wield that type of power when he took over nor did Clemson run the factory they do today. Kirby runs the Saban playbook, Day the Urban Meyer playbook, why can’t Freeman (and Rees) run the BK playbook on certain aspects? Not to mention Tressel.

I've thought of this 'action' too of what the Irish will look like with MF since he's at the helm. How much do we 'as fans' know how much of the offensive plays, for whoever the Irish played, was written up by BK and/or Rees? Whose decided when and TB was to come in and run some plays outside of Coan being hurt or a specific play or series to be run by TB?

This makes me anxious and weary at the same time - if that makes since. I guess we will see come OSU if there are remnants of BK or possibly Tressel as you say.

 

[Dale]

I've thought of this 'action' too of what the Irish will look like with MF since he's at the helm. How much do we 'as fans' know how much of the offensive plays, for whoever the Irish played, was written up by BK and/or Rees? Whose decided when and TB was to come in and run some plays outside of Coan being hurt or a specific play or series to be run by TB?

This makes me anxious and weary at the same time - if that makes since. I guess we will see come OSU if there are remnants of BK or possibly Tressel as you say.

I didn’t mean actual like actual offensive/defensive playbook haha. I meant playbook as in like how they run recruiting, dealing with media, upgrades, staffing etc

 

[Dizzyphil]

I didn’t mean actual like actual offensive/defensive playbook haha. I meant playbook as in like how they run recruiting, dealing with media, upgrades, staffing etc

Mea Culpa - that too though!!! LOL

 

[Crazy Balki]

Rumblings are that it's going to be Hiestand.

 

[Dizzyphil]

Rumblings are that it's going to be Hiestand.

link?

 

[NDFAN2008]

The rumors were Frye and HH were the only two who actually interviewed for the job, HH actually called ND himself or reached out. Frye wanted to much control and didn’t seem like a fit and ND is working out the contract with Harry. It’s not done done but 95% chance HH is the OL coach next year

 

[irish o'phile]

This is good, right? Only downside I see are the rumors that HH isn’t super active on the recruiting trail. Can that alleged deficit be subsidized somehow? Chris Watt as the Oline coach in waiting maybe?

 

[GoldenAura]

On Fortuna & Sampson's most recent podcast they talked about how there were quite a few guys that just couldn't take Hiestand's very aggressive coaching style. Lots of screaming on the practice field and that was tame compared to how he constantly laid into guys in the film room. For the guys who could handle it though...$$$

 

[SBirishlawyer]

On Fortuna & Sampson's most recent podcast they talked about how there were quite a few guys that just couldn't take Hiestand's very aggressive coaching style. Lots of screaming on the practice field and that was tame compared to how he constantly laid into guys in the film room. For the guys who could handle it though...$$$

But also that has been like 4 years ago. It is not that hard for me to imagine him reigning it in enough to get by, especially if he was the one instigating the idea. Also the fact that it is a possibility makes it seem like initial situation may not have been as bad as rumored.

 

[chicago51]

This is good, right? Only downside I see are the rumors that HH isn’t super active on the recruiting trail. Can that alleged deficit be subsidized somehow? Chris Watt as the Oline coach in waiting maybe?

The narrative HH doesn't recruit is kind of false. Driskell on IB kind explained his recruiting well. It is true HH doesn't like to be on the road a ton. The way he recruits is he'll watch a ton of film on high school players. Then in coordination with the staff target his 5 guys he wants. And then he'll go out on the road enough to get his guys. If picks out 5-6 guys, he usually comes away with 4 of them.

 

[chicago51]

Good news is we'll probably have 15 to 16 OL on the roster (could have 18). So if we lose a couple because they don't like to be coached hard, we'll be alright.

 

[SBirishlawyer]

The narrative HH doesn't recruit is kind of false. Driskell on IB kind explained his recruiting well. It is true HH doesn't like to be on the road a ton. The way he recruits is he'll watch a ton of film on high school players. Then in coordination with the staff target his 5 guys he wants. And then he'll go out on the road enough to get his guys. If picks out 5-6 guys, he usually comes away with 4 of them.

Which all but his last year when he knew he was on the outs was true. No reason to think that can’t be reproduced. Also he had a region and had one or two meaningful recruits that he got us in on that weren’t O-line. I think his region was ohio michigan midwest ish.

 

[Henges24]

Can’t Hiestand just show recruits his first round draft picks and be done?
Kinda like Weis and his SB rings.

 

[chicago51]

I'm looking forward to seeing what HH can do now that ND is fully built by Balis. If I recall Balis first year was HH's last year.

 

[Sea Turtle]

Are we really going back to assignment blocking after switchingbtobzonevblocking?

 

[stpeteirish]

On Fortuna & Sampson's most recent podcast they talked about how there were quite a few guys that just couldn't take Hiestand's very aggressive coaching style. Lots of screaming on the practice field and that was tame compared to how he constantly laid into guys in the film room. For the guys who could handle it though...$$$

Same things they said about Joe Moore. Word is he was pretty good

 

[IrishLax]

Are we really going back to assignment blocking after switchingbtobzonevblocking?

Honestly, this will drive me up a wall. We just spent a full year going through growing pains with a young line… makes no sense to throw all that away.

I think HH is a very good coach but if he doesn’t take it down a couple notches it’s going to be a problem. I’m not worried about recruiting at all — just signed the best OL class in the country with effectively no OL coach.

 

[Irish8248]

In my experience, the DC is usually the biggest prick of a coach. I loved it but I could see why others may not. The 2nd biggest prick was always the OL coach but he was only a prick to the OL. They also only ever cared about the OL.