https://247sports.com/college/notre-dame/Article/New-Notre-Dame-defensive-coordinator-Clark-Lea-talks-about-landing-the-new-gig-114642027
Clark Lea in-depth on the moment he became Notre Dame's new DC
On Sunday, UND.com released a story on the hiring of new defensive coordinator Clark Lea, which includes quotes from him about the day he was promoted.
On Jan. 9, Notre Dame announced that it was promoting linebackers coach Clark Lea as its new defensive coordinator.
Today, UND.com released a story on that process, which comes from Lea's perspective and the moment he was offered the job to run the Fighting Irish defense.
The story discusses a phone call from head coach Brian Kelly to Lea shortly after the news had broken that Mike Elko was leaving for Texas A&M to fill the the opening as defensive coordinator.
"He reached out to me and reassured me that he wanted me to be here," says Lea of Kelly. "He had a lot going on in his world at that moment, so the call meant a lot to me. ... And I'm stumbling off the ice on my skates, taking that call.
"So the conversation with Coach Kelly was more about him just checking that I felt personally ready to take this step in my career and understanding all that goes into this position at this university," said Lea. "I really had a year to interview for the job without knowing."
As noted in the story, Lea then received a second phone call from Kelly, which came with a job offer to replace Elko.
"I was picking up my kids at ECDC (Early Childhood Development Center, a pre-school on the Notre Dame campus). I stepped into one of the empty classrooms to have this conversation-it was all so surreal," says Lea. "Then we all went out for lunch at Cre-Asian (a restaurant a few blocks from campus), and my wife Allison and I had a chance for a short celebration. Short only because my wheels were already churning, focused on the work that was ahead."
Lea had officially replaced Elko, his good friend and former co-worker, as the new defensive coordinator. Once the news became public, he was hearing from a ton of friends and family.
"You're hearing from high school friends and high school coaches, college friends and college coaches. I even received a special call from Brad Gioia, the headmaster of my high school," said Lea.
