Clark Lea - Defensive Coordinator

[Fbolt]

Thinking Elston as the DC with Lea as the Co-DC. Promotion of both and continuity. Look for S position coach and move forward.

 

[GrangerIrish24]

I’m all in favor or co-dc and hiring a top notch safeties coach.

 

[stlnd01]

Thinking Elston as the DC with Lea as the Co-DC. Promotion of both and continuity. Look for S position coach and move forward.

This - or maybe Hazelton - seem like best bets to me.
Doesn't seem like the guy from U-Dub is ever going to leave Petersen. We need a hustler on the trail and I'd Johnson's too old for that. Sawvel seems like an interesting idea, I guess. Think we could snag Don Brown from Michigan?

 

[Johannes]

Anyone know if the Elko 4-2-5 is run like Gary Patterson’s, splitting the DL/LB play calling from the DBs? If so, and presuming a Lea / Elston co-DC situation would keep the same scheme, who takes over the DB play calling?

 

[BoredIrish]

Tom Bradley is available. I dont think he is getting a coordinators job at this point, so maybe he would come as a position coach.

I'd go after Hazelton as DC. I cant imagine he is making much at Wyoming.

 

[SoIll]

Has to be Lea..

 

[BobbyMac]

So now that everyone knows we lost Elko over a few hundred thousand, our guy needs to be satisfied with less than that or its pointless to have let Elko go.

I'd take Hazleton based on performance and experience. Dont think Johnson is a fit. I am afraid of losing Elston and Lea though as well if someone from outside is brought in.

Let's drop that from the airing of grievances. They lost Elko over the difference in what they would have paid and what A&M would have paid, not did pay. A&M stopped at $2.5M for Aranda, where were they gonna top out at on Elko?

 

[Cackalacky]

Let's drop that from the airing of grievances. They lost Elko over the difference in what they would have paid and what A&M would have paid, not did pay. A&M stopped at $2.5M for Aranda, where were they gonna top out at on Elko?

Ok its tertiary to my main point anyway. I am not even aggrieved. Its the nature of the business. "Fuck you pay me". Point is Its public record now what ND's ceiling is for DC. If they go and hire someone for more money then it was pointless and very very stupid not to keep Elko by paying him more.

 

[ab2cmiller]

Let's drop that from the airing of grievances. They lost Elko over the difference in what they would have paid and what A&M would have paid, not did pay. A&M stopped at $2.5M for Aranda, where were they gonna top out at on Elko?

Sounds like Elko and his agent screwed up, they could've gotten another $500,000 per year if they would've kept saying no, cause A & M just kept upping their offer.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Ok its tertiary to my main point anyway. I am not even aggrieved. Its the nature of the business. "Fuck you pay me". Point is Its public record now what ND's ceiling is for DC. If they go and hire someone for more money then it was pointless and very very stupid not to keep Elko by paying him more.

If ND had offered $1.81M/yr to Elko, would that actually be the ceiling? No. The Aggies are desperate, and desperate people will give anything. The point Ol' Crus is making is that Elko was playing both sides off each other, and the Aggies would always be willing to drop more cash, just to win. I hope Elko likes being below a damn dog on the totem pole down in College Station, but he'll know soon enough how bad of a mistake saying "yes" to desperate people can be.

 

[Cackalacky]

If ND had offered $1.81M/yr to Elko, would that actually be the ceiling? No. The Aggies are desperate, and desperate people will give anything. The point Ol' Crus is making is that Elko was playing both sides off each other, and the Aggies would always be willing to drop more cash, just to win. I hope Elko likes being below a damn dog on the totem pole down in College Station, but he'll know soon enough how bad of a mistake saying "yes" to desperate people can be.

Do we know that though? Do we know that ND would have gotten into a bidding war if that is what is being claimed? No they said 1.8 is too much to keep Elko regardless. That is clear evidence that they wont pay that much. They have never paid that much. They are not going to do that even though Elko was a great hire. If they hire someone else now for more konwy, it seems stupid to have not countering for Elko.

I am unaware if its true Elko was trying to play a bidding war or if he was unhappy in SB so I am not acknowledging that as it would be a very serious accusation for a man who worked for the same head coach for over a decade. What is clear is that ND wasnt willing to to the few extra yards to retain him.

 

[IrishLax]

I think they should just promote Lea for continuity. Replacing two good coaches on that side of the ball and bringing in another new scheme (3rd in 3 years) is asking for Tillery and Coney to leave for sure, and even Tranquill to change his mind.

I think any outside hire is asking for trouble.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Do we know that though? Do we know that ND would have gotten into a bidding war if that is what is being claimed? No they said 1.8 is too much to keep Elko regardless. That is clear evidence that they wont pay that much. They have never paid that much. They are not going to do that even though Elko was a great hire. If they hire someone else now for more konwy, it seems stupid to have not countering for Elko.

I am unaware if its true Elko was trying to play a bidding war or if he was unhappy in SB so I am not acknowledging that as it would be a very serious accusation for a man who worked for the same head coach for over a decade. What is clear is that ND wasnt willing to to the few extra yards to retain him.

Per ISD via Lax in the Elko thread, it sounds like a bidding war had begun, as Elko came back asking for another bump after the Aggies countered, beating the initial raise. That sounds like a bidding war to me, and Jack refused to play.

I think they should just promote Lea for continuity. Replacing two good coaches on that side of the ball and bringing in another new scheme (3rd in 3 years) is asking for Tillery and Coney to leave for sure, and even Tranquill to change his mind.

I think any outside hire is asking for trouble.

Yeah I'm with this one. I wonder if Jack can take the money saved from promoting Lea and go balls to the wall for an elite DB coach

 

[PANDFAN]

Per ISD via Lax in the Elko thread, it sounds like a bidding war had begun, as Elko came back asking for another bump after the Aggies countered, beating the initial raise. That sounds like a bidding war to me, and Jack refused to play.



Yeah I'm with this one. I wonder if Jack can take the money saved from promoting Lea and go balls to the wall for an elite DB coach

jimmy lake

don't know if this is accurate but :WASHINGTON HUSKIES
Salary: $375,000

 

[zelezo vlk]

jimmy lake

don't know if this is accurate but :WASHINGTON HUSKIES
Salary: $375,000

Pretty sure Ol' Crus loves that guy, but Lake was most recently seen negging ND to Kyler Gordon. Would he even come?

 

[Wingman Ray]

Pretty sure Ol' Crus loves that guy, but Lake was most recently seen negging ND to Kyler Gordon. Would he even come?

Negging is part of the job. Doesnt mean you hate the school you are negging. Means you are trying to improve your team with the players you want. Dont think ND nor anyone else doesnt do it

 

[Armyirish47]

I think they should just promote Lea for continuity. Replacing two good coaches on that side of the ball and bringing in another new scheme (3rd in 3 years) is asking for Tillery and Coney to leave for sure, and even Tranquill to change his mind.

I think any outside hire is asking for trouble.

I'm with you, retain Lea and look at DB coaches, maybe Demetrice Martin who got left out of the shuffle at UCLA?

 

[PANDFAN]

I'm with you, retain Lea and look at DB coaches, maybe Demetrice Martin who got left out of the shuffle at UCLA?

he's been great at recruiting but with what tactics? idk

 

[Kingbish01]

Bob Stoops is available

 

[Johannes]

jimmy lake

don't know if this is accurate but :WASHINGTON HUSKIES
Salary: $375,000

He’s currently a co-DC though. A Lea/Lake combo at DC would likely entail Elston looking for greener pastures. Fair enough. Whose scheme do they run? Does ND have the pieces for a Washington style 3-4?

 

[Ndaccountant]

Kerry Cooks

 

[RDU Irish]

How many DCs out there see $1M/year as a huge pay raise? How many have equal defensive talent to ND? How many have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs? Throw a $1M playoff bonus plus $2M championship bonus on a $1M/year salary gtd for three years and I think you would get a number of people knocking down your door.

TAMU has pushed top dollar on LSU and pressured ND to $1.5M - who out there is making over $1.5M as a DC? Now that the bidding war is over - so we want to be the next desperate program over-paying for the position? We have indicated we will pay about as much as anyone - I don't see that as a negative. Any time you have good coaches you run the risk of them being poached - better to have a good coach poached than to have mediocre coaches nobody wants right?

If someone could tell me how much the guys on that list are currently making I think that would shed some light on our competitive position in getting them.

 

[NDdomer2]

If ND's known ceiling for a DC is top 5/10 coordinator money, how does that reflect negatively on ND?

 

[Ndaccountant]

Jim Leonhard from Wisky makes the most sense, and he is making $600k per year. Wisky is a school that will not engage in a bidding war either.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

If ND's known ceiling for a DC is top 5/10 coordinator money, how does that reflect negatively on ND?

It reflects negatively on ND that an assistant they really wanted to keep left for a place where he had no ties and did not receive a promotion. It makes ND look undesirable. If everyone believes it's just about money then I agree it won't create a negative perception. I don't think it's ever that simple, though.

And any way you slice it, this is a blow to ND's self-image as CFB royalty.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Jim Leonhard from Wisky makes the most sense, and he is making $600k per year. Wisky is a school that will not engage in a bidding war either.

Jim Leonard is a Badger through and through. I'd be shocked if anybody could pull him away from his alma mater

 

[NorthDakota]

Jim Leonard is a Badger through and through. I'd be shocked if anybody could pull him away from his alma mater

Who knows... dude could very well have dreams and aspirations outside of Madison.

 

[Johannes]

Jim Leonard is a Badger through and through. I'd be shocked if anybody could pull him away from his alma mater

I’m sure he’d appreciate if someone asked, though. He’d get a nice raise in Madison.

 

[indianamouse]

It reflects negatively on ND that an assistant they really wanted to keep left for a place where he had no ties and did not receive a promotion. It makes ND look undesirable. If everyone believes it's just about money then I agree it won't create a negative perception. I don't think it's ever that simple, though.

And any way you slice it, this is a blow to ND's self-image as CFB royalty.

I don't believe it hurts ND's self-image at all. Notre Dame refused to play in a bidding war where A&M was clearly willing to sell the farm to get Elko. Elko was great, but if he truly loved Notre Dame, he would have stayed. We can be mad all we like, but there is no reason to pay top dollar off of 1 year of improvement. Elston improved this defence, did we pay him top dollar?

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

I don't believe it hurts ND's self-image at all. Notre Dame refused to play in a bidding war where A&M was clearly willing to sell the farm to get Elko. Elko was great, but if he truly loved Notre Dame, he would have stayed. We can be mad all we like, but there is no reason to pay top dollar off of 1 year of improvement. Elston improved this defence, did we pay him top dollar?

That's the crux of the issue. If ND is only as good as its money then it's time to stop dreaming about NCs.