Chris "Belt To" Ash - Defensive Coordinator

T-Boone

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I thought it was going to be a co DC. Big call from MF. Mickens won’t wait around.
 
BoredIrish

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Can we get a "Co" added to the thread title?

Assuming there is a Co in his title
 
NDpendent

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NDQuebec said:
MF and every other head coach in football should never be doubted. You know, like the Gerad Parker hire. Or the Stuckey one. Or....
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I was really bought into the Stuckey hire for what he accomplished at Baylor. I have to eat crow on that one
 
Jiggafini19Deux

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giphy.gif


Good morning.

Go Irish. Beat our inner most anxieties. Then Beat Canes.
 
stlnd01

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NDpendent said:
I was really bought into the Stuckey hire for what he accomplished at Baylor. I have to eat crow on that one
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To be fair, Stuckey came in blazing (sorry couldn't resist) as a recruiter. It was the development that was a struggle.
But also, looking back, Stuckey was pretty inexperienced. When we hired him, he had spent one season at Baylor and a GA year at Clemson. How would one even know how he was at developing players? Ash may be disappointing, but he is experienced!

This feels a bit more like Parker, TBH. Settling for a guy b/c he's available and you need to fill the job. Maybe it'll work out better? I think a lot hinges on Mickens and whether this is sort of a bridge to him being DC for real in a year.
 
GoldenBoy3

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I may be in the minority with this hire. We tried for Knowles and he took more to go to PSU, but I really like this move. His NFL experience is similar to Golden and he has been known to make DBs elite in his system. Very detailed coach who focuses on basic fundamentals and tackling. OSU wanted him when they lost Knowles and many respectable writers view this as a slam dunk. Sark even tried retaining him after Herman got canned. He’ll probably be a two year guy before he moves on and the job will belong to Mickens.
 
Jiggafini19Deux

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The optics suggest that Freeman was locked in on Ash and could have been when the wheels were set in motion for Golden to get the DC seat with the Bengals. It appears that Mickens is going to remain on the staff for the 2025 season. I think these two aspects of the hire give me some pause and reason for optimism. It's not really an "exciting" hire (I wanted Lukabu from the Carolina Panthers), but in the end, this guy is coming in with DC experience and a National Championship ring. There are likely worse hires that could have been made both in terms of quality and public relations. I think he's learned a lot from the Ludwig/Parker situation, though. That's my take on this.

For Chris Ash, he's got a pretty sweet gig when you consider how things have gone for the last handful of guys who have had it before him. One is the HC at TAMU, another the HC at Vanderbilt, the next is the HC at Notre Dame and the previous guy just got an NFL DC job coming off of an appearance in the National Championship Game. He has to realize the opportunity he has, not only to succeed while at Notre Dame, but what that could mean for him down the line. He's only 51 years of age, and yes Irish Envy fans, assistant coaches will often leave for other jobs to advance their careers and bank accounts. As much as it clearly pains some of you, doubling people's salaries to they can stay and get a job title added to what they do is not how athletics works. These are just jobs to these guys.

I had convinced myself that Denbrock and Golden were going to be around for while. It was foolish to think that would be the case. This isn't a profession where you stay in one spot for 30 years and retire with a gold watch. At some point, Mickens is going to leave. Deland is going to leave. Etc. My hope is they are doing so because of the program's success in addition to their own. It is the natural way of things and the best case scenario in all reality. I think having lost the big dance last week still stings a little bit and now on top of it we have seen another great DC leave the program. Ultimately, we have our guy and we hope for the best. That starts with beating Miami.

I'm still as excited about being a fan of this program as I have been in a very long time. Hiring Chris Ash isn't going to change that. At any rate, it's your message board party and you can cry if you want to.
 
Irish#1

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Fbolt said:
If this is who (what does everyone say here, MFMF or MMFF?) Freeman wants, I'm digging it.

Although I will say that every time I see his pics, he looks like a saltine cracker.
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Reps for "looks like a saltine cracker".

I mentioned this in the other thread, but Ash could turn out to be pretty good. After all it's not some much about the X's & O's as it is the Jimmy's & Joe's. When he had them at OSU his D was pretty good. He will inherit a D that has the Jimmy's & Joe's.

From ESPN.com
Ash has coached four top-25 defenses in his career and helped develop players like Joey Bosa, Marshon Lattimore and Denzel Ward at Ohio State. The Buckeyes' 2015 defense finished No. 2 nationally. In both his seasons as Wisconsin's defensive coordinator, the Badgers finished top 15 in defense.
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Old Man Mike

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Feels ... odd. This guy's work record puts him in the EXACT positional coaching area as Mickens.

TWO alphas in the exact arena. Hmmmm

And how is this good for skill diversity on our staff?

Wait and see, I guess.
 
NDQuebec

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NDpendent said:
I was really bought into the Stuckey hire for what he accomplished at Baylor. I have to eat crow on that one
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Same here. I have to eat another crow because I didn't buy into the Golden hire at the time.
 
forkbeard3777

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Not a "sexy" hire (God, I hate using that term), but Notre Dame really doesn't need it. Freeman's a defensive minded guy and I've got to imagine that Ash (or any DC Notre Dame would have hired) will step in and pick up where Freeman and Golden left off.

Talent wise, the cupboard isn't bare and this isn't an overhaul or rebuild of the defense. You just need a guy to come in, assume responsibility and take control of the existing defense, and not screw it up.
 
rtrn2glory

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Wonder what the salary is? Maybe it's a little less which might give us the funds we need to get Blanchard in
 
Kingbish01

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rtrn2glory said:
Wonder what the salary is? Maybe it's a little less which might give us the funds we need to get Blanchard in
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Can't imagine it being a ton, he's a few years removed from actual coaching, NFL scouts don't make a killing and I don't think they had much competition if any for him.
 
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