ND Defensive Coordinator search- 2025

[IrishLax]

I could see passing over Mickens to hire Knowles or even Leonhard, but I have a hard time imagining that Freeman would let an excellent coach with whom he has worked for years - and who is a big reason why Freeman came to Notre Dame in the first place - walk in order to hire a borderline-unemployed retread like Chris Ash. This has to be a co-DC situation.

I’ll go a step further — the entire reason the defense is good is because Mickens has recruited and coached up elite corners. That’s it. They play man coverage at a very high level which allowed Golden to go blitz crazy and cover up mediocre DL play.

If you lose Mickens and lose having an elite secondary the entire house of cards falls apart.

 

[IrishBoognish]

This might be cope, and I won't be made if I'm told it is... but how sure are we that MF isn't the main reason our defense is so good, unpredictable, and playing with a high havoc rate?

I'm not talking shit about Golden who was incredible, but that's Freeman's hallmark too innit?

 

[FWIrish4]

You almost wonder if the Ash hire is conditional on Mickens staying as a co-DC. And if Mickens doesn't go for it, we get back to shopping around for a stronger full DC.

This is the ONLY way this makes sense. You can’t hire Ash for a job that’s solely dependent upon Mickens, without Mickens being 100% in.

 

[Dale]

Mickens has been massive and shown to be an elite CB coach, but do we forget that this Marcus Freeman guy has been above him his entire career? He knows some ball too

Hopefully this article by Brice is similar to other times where he said ND was trying to keep ____ and then next article was Freeman kept his man. That was basically what they did with Bowden last year, where they were always gonna keep him but it was sold as this huge win.

 

[stlnd01]

This might be cope, and I won't be made if I'm told it is... but how sure are we that MF isn't the main reason our defense is so good, unpredictable, and playing with a high havoc rate?

I'm not talking shit about Golden who was incredible, but that's Freeman's hallmark too innit?

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say I was never all that impressed with Freeman as a defensive playcaller.
I think he is a phenomenal builder of culture and leader of young men, an excellent recruiter and face of the program, the perfect model of a modern college football coach. But he may be best leaving the actual x's and o's to guys like Golden and Denbrock who've seen it all and think about nothing else.

 

[Katzenboyer]

Losing Mickens because you hire Chris fuck!ng Ash is an absolute, unmitigated disaster.

I hope this is not true.

 

[NDFAN2008]

The article from
Footballscoop said Mickens is exploring options in the NFL and other colleges I swear if we lose him

 

[FDNYIrish1]

I keep going back to the relationship between Mickens and Freeman. What is holding MF back from straight up hiring him as DC and that he’s willing to let him twist and even leave.

 

[FWIrish4]

The article from
Footballscoop said Mickens is exploring options in the NFL and other colleges I swear if we lose him

Art of the deal baby. Get the DC role and a little extra cash on top of ND’s original offer!

 

[NDFAN2008]

I’ll go a step further — the entire reason the defense is good is because Mickens has recruited and coached up elite corners. That’s it. They play man coverage at a very high level which allowed Golden to go blitz crazy and cover up mediocre DL play.

If you lose Mickens and lose having an elite secondary the entire house of cards falls apart.

Not to mention if Mickens leaves you probally lose guys in the portal

 

[stlnd01]

Not to mention if Mickens leaves you probally lose guys in the portal

What did you do for hobbies before the portal was a thing?

 

[arndtjc]

Member of the beat saying this move presumably coincides with a Mickens co-DC promotion

 

[KPENN]

What did you do for hobbies before the portal was a thing?

Went to English class

 

[PolishDomer]

What did you do for hobbies before the portal was a thing?

Worship Ty Chan

 

[NDFAN2008]

At the end of the day Freeman is gonna have a big part say in what the defense does and that won’t change no matter who comes in

 

[tussin]

Ash barely keeps jobs for more than 1-2 seasons. Combine that with a serial killer looking Wikipedia picture… and I don’t like this.

 

[KPENN]

Member of the beat saying this move presumably coincides with a Mickens co-DC promotion

Who?

 

[TheRealLynch51]

Who?

Prister said it in a DC Search thread on 247

 

[NDPhilly]

Almost seems like they are bringing Ash in to teach Mickens how to be a DC / play caller of Freeman’s preferred defense.

Ash doesn’t have a lot of leverage, elite DCs aren’t going to agree to some type of arrangement like this b

 

[choo choo]

I really like Ash/mickins

 

[InKellyWeTrust]

I'll reserve judgement until we see what the final plan is.

 

[bloomstar39]

There is absolutely no way this is anything but essentially giving the DC job to Mickens with a mentor aka co-DC (with Mickens on board of course). Chris Ash would be about the biggest joke otherwise... pretty much about anyone on the lists put out on here are all better.

 

[GrangerIrish24]

On the flip side, this could be a great hire because who the fuck really knows.

 

[Huntr]

Hiring Ash as DC would feel like hiring Parker as OC.

 

[NDFAN2008]

I mean our defense should be loaded next year and the year after BVG couldn’t even fuck that up

 

[IrishTusker]

I mean our defense should be loaded next year and the year after BVG couldn’t even fuck that up

He had Jaylon Smith and the 2014 defense was statistically one of the worst in the history of the program.

 

[Hautian Domer]

there has to be a story here as to why Freeman likes him so much, we didn’t just miss on 10 better candidates. Al Golden was one of the nations highest paid DCs And whoever we hire will be inheriting a top five defense.

You don’t go from Al Golden to … Chris Ash.
If true, that news just sucked all the life, enthusiasm and momentum of the past season and post season run for me …

 

[Irishdawg]

Hiring Ash as DC would feel like hiring Parker as OC.

Maybe another Sunbelt school could steal Ash away from us 😉

 

[NDWarrior]

I keep going back to the relationship between Mickens and Freeman. What is holding MF back from straight up hiring him as DC and that he’s willing to let him twist and even leave.

Especially when you think about the fact that MF took that chance and leap w/ Gerard Depardieu Porker of all people!

 

[Hautian Domer]

If Freeman is making this choice primarily because of Tressel…. yikes. Take charge and make your own damn decisions. This sucks.

Yeah…I really wanted Freeman to get away from Tressel and his Cincinnati ties. This hire…holy shit. Feels like NIU all over again