Clark Lea - Defensive Coordinator

[FightingIrishLover7]

[/B]

Stanford? Italics???

That's the only west coast school that makes sense. But I see more of a BC, GT, Wake, UVA and even Duke for him. (only SEC school I see is Vandy, his alma mater)

Has deep ties with ACC at this point, and the schools match his philosophy.

 

[IrishLax]

I'm curious on this point, I usually have ESPNU84 on while I'm working on seems like everyone goes out of their way to say "TAMU has that storied Mike Elko D". Is his reputation actually tarnished?

What would consider a good P5 job, like a Michigan State type job? (I know Mel Tucker just got there, but a team on that level)

It's more that they simply aren't living up to expectations so right now you have the tenuous push-and-pull internally between people saying "we have a great DC!" and people saying "our defense isn't very good, why are we paying so much money?"

The bottom line is that it appears to have dead-ended his career, at least in the short term, whereas Lea is getting actively sought after for HC jobs.

 

[IrishLax]

That's the only west coast school that makes sense. But I see more of a BC, GT, Wake, UVA and even Duke for him. (only SEC school I see is Vandy, his alma mater)

Has deep ties with ACC at this point, and the schools match his philosophy.

Yes, a job like UVA or UCLA is hypothetically the kind of job I could see him taking. I don't think he would take a Group of 5 job, and I don't think he'd take a dead-end Power 5 job like Rutgers.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Yes, a job like UVA or UCLA is hypothetically the kind of job I could see him taking. I don't think he would take a Group of 5 job, and I don't think he'd take a dead-end Power 5 job like Rutgers.

UCONN
Why Bob, why...lol

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

Since taking over at Texas A&M, their SP+ defensive rankings are:

2018: 21st
2019: 23rd
2020: 27th (through week 7)

If his goal is to be a P5 head coach is his trajectory better than it was four years ago?

If his defenses stay around this level of quality does Texas A&M start getting itchy?

 

[zelezo vlk]

Texas offers him $3M and ND cucks out, lets him go to Austin and hires freshly fired Pelini for $199k + a gold Chevy Spark company car

Don't speak this into existence

 

[zelezo vlk]

Since taking over at Texas A&M, their SP+ defensive rankings are:

2018: 21st
2019: 23rd
2020: 27th (through week 7)

If his goal is to be a P5 head coach is his trajectory better than it was four years ago?

If his defenses stay around this level of quality does Texas A&M start getting itchy?

If I were the Aggies, I wouldn't get rid of him. But I'm smart enough not to be an Aggie

 

[IrishLax]

UCONN
Why Bob, why...lol

RIP Bobby D

 

[NDRock]

All I know is, if he leaves. He'll be making a good pick. No Diaco to Uconn mess. (still rebuilding his career now)

He'll pick a school with great academics. You can tell he has value for that.

I wonder if an ACC team would hire him. I bet he's well respected in the conference.

 

[zelezo vlk]

I wonder if an ACC team would hire him. I bet he's well respected in the conference.

What if Cutliffe hangs 'em up after this year? I was thinking Wake, but I think Wake is just harder to win at than Duke.

 

[Irish#1]

The thing is, he's not going to leave for another DC job. He's seen what has happened with Elko and has built something great so far at ND + he is well compensated.

So that leaves HC jobs. He's not going to leave for a shitty HC job, or he would've last year.

I'm not saying he's going to be Brent Venables and stay put forever, but I think there is a clear path to him being the ND HC and he's unlikely to leave for anything short of a "good" P5 job. Kelly is not going to be here for that much longer, and Lea is a very young coach.

Yes, a job like UVA or UCLA is hypothetically the kind of job I could see him taking. I don't think he would take a Group of 5 job, and I don't think he'd take a dead-end Power 5 job like Rutgers.

If he has a head on his shoulders and we all think he does, he will take his time and be selective on taking a HC position. I would think one of the requirements would be the ability to recruit top talent on a regular basis so some schools like Wake Forest may be out unless he's looking at one of those as a stepping stone.

Would love to know what kind of conversations he and BK have had concerning his future.

 

[NDRock]

Only Power 5 team to be giving up less than 10 points a game (we’re right behind Marshal). If we had him in 2016, we probably win at least 9 games.

 

[BabyIrish]

Only Power 5 team to be giving up less than 10 points a game (we’re right behind Marshal). If we had him in 2016, we probably win at least 9 games.

If we had him in 15 we win a championship

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Him + Weis, and Charlie would still have a job.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[arrowryan]

If there was ever a time to have a head coach in waiting, now is the time. I'd take Lea over the "up an coming" coaches like Matt Campbell and PJ Fleck.

 

[dad4aa]

If there was ever a time to have a head coach in waiting, now is the time. I'd take Lea over the "up an coming" coaches like Matt Campbell and PJ Fleck.

Agree with this. Especially watching Fleck's struggles last night.

 

[Wingman Ray]

ND would be the fools of the decade if they didnt lock this guy up

 

[IrishLax]

SIAP
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Coach Lea should be a top head coaching candidate! Can change a culture, inspire his players, and highly intelligent.</p>— Troy Pride Jr. (@TroyPride18) <a href="https://twitter.com/TroyPride18/status/1320128603221336064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">He’s the true definition of a leader <a href="https://t.co/EzvSVZnuu9">https://t.co/EzvSVZnuu9</a></p>— Khalid A. Kareem (@khalid_kareem53) <a href="https://twitter.com/khalid_kareem53/status/1320133609597132801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[NorthDakota]

ND would be the fools of the decade if they didnt lock this guy up

How though? Promise him if he keeps up the good work he gets the job when Kelly is done?

 

[Wingman Ray]

How though? Promise him if he keeps up the good work he gets the job when Kelly is done?

Open up the coffers, put him HC in waiting. Make a buyout so big as to not beneficial to a college to gamble on a 1st time HC.

But they wont. ND will do nothing and he will get picked up. Because at ND, no one matters but BK.

 

[BobbyMac]

Poor Mike Elston.

 

[AvesEvo]

Notre Dame doesn't exactly have the best track record when converting coordinators to head coach.

 

[Wingman Ray]

Notre Dame doesn't exactly have the best track record when converting coordinators to head coach.

Well they need to start.

 

[NDRock]

He’s the first guy I would be okay with to be “Head Coach in waiting”

 

[irishandy]

ND would be the fools of the decade if they didnt lock this guy up

I agree. Lea deserves it and ND can afford it.

PJ Fleck.....there was no rowing the boat last night, he would never make it at ND.

 

[NorthDakota]

I agree. Lea deserves it and ND can afford it.

PJ Fleck.....there was no rowing the boat last night, he would never make it at ND.

Not sure ND fans should be throwing rocks. We got rocked by 30 against Michigan last year several weeks into the season, while having access to recruits MN could hardly dream of getting lol

 

[NDRock]

I agree. Lea deserves it and ND can afford it.

PJ Fleck.....there was no rowing the boat last night, he would never make it at ND.

Who knows. Holtz went 4-7 and 6-5 at Minnesota before coming to ND.

 

[NorthDakota]

Who knows. Holtz went 4-7 and 6-5 at Minnesota before coming to ND.

I think most folks here don't appreciate the difficulty of winning at MN. It's like winning at Purdue or Indiana.

 

[irishandy]

Not sure ND fans should be throwing rocks. We got rocked by 30 against Michigan last year several weeks into the season, while having access to recruits MN could hardly dream of getting lol

I get it and certainly remember that ND got whooped by Michigan. This board has made a big deal about Fleck...I don't care to buy in right now on him.

Who knows. Holtz went 4-7 and 6-5 at Minnesota before coming to ND.

I would take Lea as our HC before Fleck.

 

[ulukinatme]

Notre Dame doesn't exactly have the best track record when converting coordinators to head coach.

You're also talking a ridiculously small sample size. In the last 30-40 years you're talking Boob Davie and I guess Weis. Lea has proven more at the college level than both those guys. Kelly also has the program built up well and has helped get us up to speed with some of the big boys.