Clark Lea - Defensive Coordinator

[Wingman Ray]

.500 team? ok buddy.. undefeated? no... but .500, you are being silly

Ok maybe not .500.

Clemson loss
UNC loss
Louisville loss
BC - 50/50

 

[Blaise]

Ok maybe not .500.

Clemson loss
UNC loss
Louisville loss
BC - 50/50

Guess we will find out next year because ND isn't paying a coordinator 3 million a year and Clark is going to get that from some school

 

[Wingman Ray]

Guess we will find out next year because ND isn't paying a coordinator 3 million a year and Clark is going to get that from some school

Then ND gets what it deserves. Back to the middle of the pack you go!

 

[Blaise]

Then ND gets what it deserves. Back to the middle of the pack you go!

Heard the same thing when Elko left... Kelly didn't just go back into his coaching tree. He promoted Clark...

How about we see what happens before banishing them to the middle of the pack

 

[Rogue219]

Typically good assistant coaches leave for bigger and better things. Especially from good programs. Good programs then replace those guys and keep moving forward.

I thought Kelly did well for himself in hiring Elko and Long. I think he did well for himself hiring Rees and Lea. I don't see why he can't find another guy if Lea should move on to an HC job.

 

[Free Manera]

Typically good assistant coaches leave for bigger and better things. Especially from good programs. Good programs then replace those guys and keep moving forward.

Yep that's how it goes. In reality, assistant coaches moving on and up is a sign of a healthy program. How many coordinators has Saban replaced? Same thing with Urban. Dabo got lucky in that Venables is a werewolf that he keeps chained in the basement. But he has replaced several offensive coordinators.

The key is replacing him with a guy that allows for continuity while also checking the recruiting and scheme boxes. I think it will be Mickens.

 

[House16]

Ok maybe not .500.

Clemson loss
UNC loss
Louisville loss
BC - 50/50

BC has only topped 35 points once all year. Don't think that Lea is the only reason we held them below 45 lol. If you think all games within 2 TDs are losses or maybe losses without our DC then by that standard practically every team in the country would be sub 500 without their DC lol.

 

[RDU Irish]

I don't see Lea bolting for Vandy - nobody in their right mind thinks they are going to take Vandy to the promised land and as such the "alma mater" draw is severely compromised. He would be drawn out of there by a big money program in short order with even nominal success. If Vandy is paying 3 - 3.5M then we won't be far behind. We are not under paying assistants like we were a decade ago.

 

[Wingman Ray]

BC has only topped 35 points once all year. Don't think that Lea is the only reason we held them below 45 lol. If you think all games within 2 TDs are losses or maybe losses without our DC then by that standard practically every team in the country would be sub 500 without their DC lol.

Louisville ND won by 5 pts
Clemson not close

So at a minimum 2 of the 4 losses. Minimum

 

[House16]

Louisville ND won by 5 pts
Clemson not close

So at a minimum 2 of the 4 losses. Minimum

Haha I'm sorry but I'm dying on this hill.

Louisville had 7 possessions during that game because our offensive game plan was to just eat clock and get out of there with a win. We ended the game with a 14-play drive (13 runs) that ended with a kneel-down at the 9 yard line. Most importantly, we had an 89% post-game win expectancy! The 12-7 score was extremely deceiving and Lea was absolutely not the difference in that game.

Against Clemson, yes it was an inspired defensive effort and I definitely buy that it might have been a loss without Lea. But it also might have been a loss without Rees, Quinn, Kelly, Elston, Avery Davis, Ian Book, Javon McKinley, Daelin Hayes, Shayne Simon, and many many others. So unless you're beating the drum that we absolutely must get every one of them back next year too, the fixation on Lea is unwarranted IMO.

Is Lea a top-notch DC? Hell yeah he is and it would suck if he left. Is he the difference between an undefeated season and mediocrity? Not even close. DC's at good programs leave to become HC's. The next step for ND is to find the next good DC.

 

[Rogue219]

Clark Lea is smart, and even the smartest of alpha male coaches has to know that Vanderbilt is a difficult place to win. He went there and is a native of Nashville, so if he can't admit it nobody can.

Vanderbilt could just as easily want the guy from Charlotte or Coastal Carolina in there, too, which for either or both is a major step up. Maybe even Billy Napier from Louisiana.

In the end, Vanderbilt has to want Lea and Lea has to want them. It's simple connecting of dots at this point and nothing more.

 

[Rogue219]

The key is replacing him with a guy that allows for continuity while also checking the recruiting and scheme boxes. I think it will be Mickens.

Might not be a bad idea if Kelly believes he is ready. The guy has been a corners coach since 2013 at every stop.

Young guy who had a cup of coffee in the NFL, too.

 

[EvilleIrish]

Just saw that the AD said she would like an "offensive minded" coach.

 

[Dizzyphil]

<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Vanderbilt athletics director Candice Lee on the upcoming coaching search <a href="https://t.co/tJ92CJZ2PH">https://t.co/tJ92CJZ2PH</a></p>— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/1333498821893107713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>

 

[zelezo vlk]

The key is replacing him with a guy that allows for continuity while also checking the recruiting and scheme boxes. I think it will be Mickens.

Kelly's former corner at Cincinnati? Pfft, why does BK keep going back to his tree?

 

[Rogue219]

Just saw that the AD said she would like an "offensive minded" coach.

This makes complete and total sense. That conference has shifted and it is going to be crazier once Leach and Kiffin cement themselves into their programs even further.

Vanderbilt more than anyone down there has to focus on putting up points.

 

[Free Manera]

Listening to the new II podcast and Sampson said he thinks Lea would take Vandy if they offered. I was surprised by that.

However, it is not a bad place for him to go stay warm until ND is ready for him. Obviously don't want him to leave, but he is at some point in the next year or two. He is ready to be a head coach.

We DO NOT want him to go to a destination job where he might not want to leave in 5-10 years. Vandy is a place ND could pull him from no problem. Alma mater or not. By all accounts he loves ND now too.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Listening to the new II podcast and Sampson said he thinks Lea would take Vandy if they offered. I was surprised by that.

However, it is not a bad place for him to go stay warm until ND is ready for him. Obviously don't want him to leave, but he is at some point in the next year or two. He is ready to be a head coach.

We DO NOT want him to go to a destination job where he might not want to leave in 5-10 years. Vandy is a place ND could pull him from no problem. Alma mater or not. By all accounts he loves ND now too.

Okay but how many Destination Jobs are there?

 

[Free Manera]

Another thing Sampson said is ND would grab Freeman from Cincy if Lea goes.

 

[stpeteirish]

This makes complete and total sense. That conference has shifted and it is going to be crazier once Leach and Kiffin cement themselves into their programs even further.

Vanderbilt more than anyone down there has to focus on putting up points.

Triple option will "put up points" and annoy the hell out of the rest of the SEC. To me its a
lot like the military schools-if you can't recruit the top tier guys you need a "side door" to sneak in with lower rated players. The option does that but you have to commit to it totally.

Vandy doesn't really have a fan base to piss off.Another plus for the option.

 

[Dizzyphil]

Okay but how many Destination Jobs are there?

I know Lea will/is high on some 'future' lists but there are others out there that are desirable as well:


Graham Harrell
Tony Elliot
'Sark'

 

[zelezo vlk]

Another thing Sampson said is ND would grab Freeman from Cincy if Lea goes.

This would be an A+ hire.

Man you gotta think that Elston must have no ambition to be HC then. If he's passed up multiple times for the DC job, that kinda would be the writing on the wall.

 

[NorthDakota]

Triple option will "put up points" and annoy the hell out of the rest of the SEC. To me its a
lot like the military schools-if you can't recruit the top tier guys you need a "side door" to sneak in with lower rated players. The option does that but you have to commit to it totally.

Vandy doesn't really have a fan base to piss off.Another plus for the option.

plus when they start making NCAA games again it will be dope af to be Vandy.

I personally love the option. Its a blast to watch if you got a quarterback who can handle the decision making and wear and tear that comes with the offense.

Would be fun to watch Alabama and Co. get blown up for 30-40 points once every few years when they overlook that week of practice.

 

[SouthSideChiDomer]

This would be an A+ hire.

Man you gotta think that Elston must have no ambition to be HC then. If he's passed up multiple times for the DC job, that kinda would be the writing on the wall.

At this point, he might just value the stability and quality of life of where he is at. Being a HC could get you more money and more accolades and adulation, but it also has a lot more risks and downsides. Maybe that extra upside isn't worth the potential downside considering he is already in a pretty good situation.

Another thing Sampson said is ND would grab Freeman from Cincy if Lea goes.

That was what I was thinking would be the plan. He is also a LB coach, so he might be able to slide right in to the staff if he is okay with keeping our position coaches.

If Lea does go to Vandy, I wonder who from the staff he tries to take with him? I could see him taking Lezynski to be his LB coach or maybe Terry Joseph to be his DC depending on how much Joseph is actually involved with game planning as Pass Game Coordinator. I thought maybe Lance Taylor as OC, but it seems like the AD would want him to hire a more established name.

Also, all this talk of Vandy running the triple option seems a little crazy to me. Vandy isn't a service academy. They don't have any higher academic restrictions than a Northwestern or Stanford, so why can't they be as successful as them? Yes, they play in a more difficult league, but they could use that to recruit better players who want better competition. And their campus is in a major city that is known for its party life. They should be aiming a lot higher than service academies.

 

[Southside Sully]

At this point, he might just value the stability and quality of life of where he is at. Being a HC could get you more money and more accolades and adulation, but it also has a lot more risks and downsides. Maybe that extra upside isn't worth the potential downside considering he is already in a pretty good situation.

This.. There was an interview last year with Elston that talked specifically about wanting to not move around or leave while his daughters are young and keep their life consistent.. I will look for the link.

 

[Free Manera]

The Vandy AD said they want an offensive coach with an offensive mind. So hopefully that’s the end of that.

 

[Irish YJ]

I don’t think Butch Jones should have been fired. He was getting the occasional upset against the SEC elite, snapped the 11 game losing streak vs Florida (which began well into Fulmer’s coaching tenure) and posted back to back 9 win seasons only to be fired before the end of the following year.

Tennessee does a great job recruiting, and most of it doesn’t even come from their own state. Only 2 of their 4-5 stars commits are from Tennessee and they don’t have any of the top 5 in state guys locked up. Yet they are currently rated 15th by 247 in total team talent, only issue is that’s only good enough for 7th in the SEC.

They’ve looked awful this year, but I’m not sure they’ll move on from Pruitt yet but when they do they will probably want somebody with a proven track record rather than another coordinator.

I was OK with Jones. It was a weird time IMO. I really got hyped in 2015. 2016 was OK, but he lost to a few teams he shouldn't. A very hyped year to start ended with wet fart. 2017 was just bad. It just had the feeling that he peaked in year 2, and was regressing. IDK. Maybe he should have gotten another year or so, but just felt like he was in over his head a bit. I'm a little surprised he hasn't gotten another shot. At least at a G5 type school. I'm sure the time in Bama will inflate his stock.

On recruiting, agreed. They've done pretty darn good, without building a wall around the state. If they could get more in-state kids too, I think they could take it to the next level (recruiting wise).

This year was very disappointing for a lot of reasons. IMO, it points to coaching more than anything. They've just lacked in development, and just about all the phases. And I thought they'd be pretty good. Not... lol.

Overall, I definitely think it's an attractive destination. Like I said, all fanbases at big schools are irrational, but at least UT puts their money and facilities where their mouth is. It would likely be the best place for Lea in terms of $$, and wrap around support. Fulmer being heavy handed might be an issue for some, but may not be for others. I guess it would just depend on Fulmer's "vision" and plan, matching the incoming coaches.

I'll say this, if Lea did go there (and I hope he doesn't), I'd strongly consider getting season tix again. I went to a lot of games during the Jones years and before, but lost interest quickly when Pruitt got there.

 

[Rogue219]

Another thing Sampson said is ND would grab Freeman from Cincy if Lea goes.

Hell yeah.

 

[Rogue219]

This.. There was an interview last year with Elston that talked specifically about wanting to not move around or leave while his daughters are young and keep their life consistent.. I will look for the link.

I have seen enough mental gymnastics in the last few days on ND Internet and I can't help but laugh. This is an industry where guys move around. Especially if they are young and doing good things. Lea is 38 years old and has been a DC for all of three years.

This fan base was drawing up goofy schemes not that long ago to have Chuck Martin and or Bob Diaco come back one day to take over at ND after Kelly goes to the NFL or whatever. A good, consistent football program loses assistant coaches. It's life, and for whatever reason, ND fans have a hard time accepting this and or don't have the faith in the brass to replace these guys.

Many of us were skeptical of Lea being promoted to replace Elko and wanted outside hire. Harry Hiestand wasn't a popular hire at first. By the time he left, it was a disaapointment.

Things end up panning out in the end, one way or another.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Clark Lea isn't married and doesn't have kids.

I have seen enough mental gymnastics in the last few days on ND Internet and I can't help but laugh. This is an industry where guys move around. Especially if they are young and doing good things. Lea is 38 years old and has been a DC for all of three years.

This fan base was drawing up goofy schemes not that long ago to have Chuck Martin and or Bob Diaco come back one day to take over at ND after Kelly goes to the NFL or whatever. A good, consistent football program loses assistant coaches. It's life, and for whatever reason, ND fans have a hard time accepting this and or don't have the faith in the brass to replace these guys.

Many of us were skeptical of Lea being promoted to replace Elko and wanted outside hire. Harry Hiestand wasn't a popular hire at first. By the time he left, it was a disaapointment.

Things end up panning out in the end, one way or another.

Bruh...

https://und.com/coach/clark-lea/