'23 KS QB Avery Johnson (Kansas State Verbal)

NDMatt91

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Most likely it's going to be a transfer
I'd rather take 2 grad transfers, even if one of them is a 1 year placeholder from an Ivy League school over a kid in the 2023 class that doesn't have all that high of an upside. We already have 1 clipboard holder (RP3) who will be here for multiple years. We can't afford to "waste" another scholarship for multiple years on another.
 

NDMatt91

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It's just so mind blowing that our QB evaluating/recruiting/development has been so bad. How you can't stop and look at this and say "something isn't right here" is just crazy. It's almost as if it were intentional.
Jack Swarbrick seriously needs to answer for why he bent over backwards to keep Rees BEFORE he even knew who the next HC was going to be.
 

Dale

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Jack Swarbrick seriously needs to answer for why he bent over backwards to keep Rees BEFORE he even knew who the next HC was going to be.

Because Rees had a job offer on the table from LSU. It’s not exactly a mystery?

Hindsight is 20/20 but we have no idea where the bottom could have been turnover wise. What if Fisher transferred? Buchner? Logan Diggs? Styles? The 2022 recruiting class? Heck Mayer? People bash Swarbrick for “continuity” considering the staff ended up turning over anyways, but the roster at least didn’t.
 

Ricochet

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Keeping Rees in the moment was the right move for continuity and I do think he's got a very bright future. However, IMO he's not the right fit at this time to be the OC at his alma mater. He needs more experience from other coaches because he IMO pantomiming what Brian Kelly became. I would love to see him move onto other systems and truly develop his own style.

I would love to see amicable moving on that will allow him to grow into the coaching talent he has the potential to be and not burn the Notre Dame bridge because down the road he may very wellnbe guy that we want it just at this time he's not the right fit in that he seems to coach scared.
 

Dale

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No offense to the guy, but the single most flawed hire of the off-season was Parker, and it isn’t close. And this directly relates to Rees.

Stuckey is not ready or even we don’t know interested in play calling OC type responsibilities. DMC is not a in the booth play caller type IMO. Neither is Hiestand.

So the only offensive staff spot that offers a chance to “check” Rees is the TEs coach. And Freeman hired his friend that I’m still not too sure Rees was too fond of. He doesn’t trust/want him next to him in the booth it seems. The booth is Rees and GAs. Who knows how that extends to prep, other things. McNulty was Rees’ check with me last year in the booth.
 
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Ricochet

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No offense to the guy, but the single worst hire of the off-season was Parker, and it isn’t close. And this directly relates to Rees.

Stuckey is not ready or even we don’t know interested in play calling OC type responsibilities. DMC is not a in the booth play caller type IMO. Neither is Hiestand.

So the only offensive staff spot that offers a chance to “check” Rees is the TEs coach. And Freeman hired his friend that I’m still not too sure Rees was too fond of. He doesn’t trust/want him next to him in the booth it seems. The booth is Rees and GAs. Who knows how that extends to prep, other things. McNulty was Rees’ check with me last year in the booth.
I pretty much agree with what you're saying here as for DMC I also agree he's not an OC type but I think his skill set is that he's got the chops to be a HC.

I would to love to see DMC at ND for sometime but I think if there is a HC out there for him he jumping at the chance no matter how bad the job might be because him going the path position coach to OC to HC path is not in his favor. I heard this about coach Elston as well that many thought his skills are much better suited to be the HC than a playcaller.
 

stlnd01

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No offense to the guy, but the single most flawed hire of the off-season was Parker, and it isn’t close. And this directly relates to Rees.

Stuckey is not ready or even we don’t know interested in play calling OC type responsibilities. DMC is not a in the booth play caller type IMO. Neither is Hiestand.

So the only offensive staff spot that offers a chance to “check” Rees is the TEs coach. And Freeman hired his friend that I’m still not too sure Rees was too fond of. He doesn’t trust/want him next to him in the booth it seems. The booth is Rees and GAs. Who knows how that extends to prep, other things. McNulty was Rees’ check with me last year in the booth.
I think we miss McNulty a fair bit. On the plus side, BC's offense is terrible so maybe there'll be an opportunity to bring him back. (As an analyst not OC!)

I'm basically with Ricochet here. I tend to think keeping Rees last season was the right move, mainly for continuity sake. I also think both he and Notre Dame would be best served by him moving on after this year. I hope for all involved that's an amicable parting and I think it probably will be.

And yeah I'd be surprised if our next OC is currently on staff. Freeman needs an experienced hand running that side of the ball.
 
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