Clark Lea - Defensive Coordinator

[Luckylucci]

Any word on who might follow him as a grad transfer or straight up transfer? Has JaMion Franklin decided where he’s going yet? Any others come to mind?

Franklin committed to Duke.

 

[Rogue219]

ND fans aren’t out of touch at all. We understand the game and know assistants come and go. What we are is nervous. We’ve been waiting for this type of sustained success for decades. Now, every coaching change brings about the possibility of another BVG or Tenuta and the whole thing can turn bad. Hopefully Kelly has this thing dialed in so well he knows exactly the type of coach we need.

Or he needs. I mean, it's his ass, not anyone else's. If it boils down to each of us trusting or not trusting Kelly's ability to do his job, so be it. Five years ago I was there not trusting it. Right now I am not.

Essentially, if it comes down to each ND fan's individual insecurities and football sensibility, the situation as it is currently is either business as usual or cause for panic.

I was incredibly nervous when those jobs were open a few years back, but he nailed the Elko and Long hires for my money. Wasn't on board with promoting Lea, but here we are handwringing about Lea taking an HC job.

when you factor all the other hires he's made since that 4-8 season, I have confidence that Kelly has the reach and self auditing ability to get good coaches into the program when the need opens.

 

[IrishLion]

Any word on who might follow him as a grad transfer or straight up transfer? Has JaMion Franklin decided where he’s going yet? Any others come to mind?

I'm more worried about which coaches he's going to take with him lol.

I guess it wouldn't be a big shocker if he took one of the lesser-used LB's that he recruited with him, though.

 

[BobbyMac]

Franklin committed to Duke.

Wouldn't surprise me if that changed now.

 

[Irishize]

I’m not worried about who BK chooses to replace Lea & the others that leave. I’m worried how Lea’s (good intentions notwithstanding) game plan(s) are affected moving towards Saturday and hopefully the CFP.

 

[BobbyMac]

Bud Foster is the exception to this profession.

Obviously there's Venables who has different variables keeping him where he's at and most likely will be a HC someday pretty soon.

Pete Kwiatkowski has been up to this point and turns down interviews all the time. Even allowed Jimmy Lake to take over his DC gig for a year and leap frog him in the Coach Pete transition plan.

Did Mike Elston just become a lifer after his last interview with BGSU in '18?

 

[zelezo vlk]

Obviously there's Venables who has different variables keeping him where he's at and most likely will be a HC someday pretty soon.

Pete Kwiatkowski has been up to this point and turns down interviews all the time. Even allowed Jimmy Lake to take over his DC gig for a year and leap frog him in the Coach Pete transition plan.

Did Mike Elston just become a lifer after his last interview with BGSU in '18?

I thought he interviewed for Central Michigan last year

 

[Irish8248]

I'm going to miss this thread

 

[DCDomer]

It's really going to suck and be a bitter end of the road if we don't play lights out on D these next 2 games.

These moments where you get reminded that everything, including sports, is all about the Benjamins for 99% of those involved, kinda suck.

 

[Luckylucci]

Man, I’ve loved having Lea. My favorite coordinator in I don’t know how long. But, Damn this doesn’t sound good. Singer reporting that Lea started recruiting for Vanderbilt today. If the defense comes out flat I don’t know if I’ll forgive him for this. ND has a shot at a Conference title and you are recruiting one day before ESD at a complete dumpster fire of a program. Who frickin cares.

 

[Bluto]

Man, I’ve loved having Lea. My favorite coordinator in I don’t know how long. But, Damn this doesn’t sound good. Singer reporting that Lea started recruiting for Vanderbilt today. If the defense comes out flat I don’t know if I’ll forgive him for this. ND has a shot at a Conference title and you are recruiting one day before ESD at a complete dumpster fire of a program. Who frickin cares.

If I were Kelly I’d turn the defense over to Elston after this weekend. Agree with LAX that this will likely sink Lea’s career moving forward.

 

[TP81989]

Man, I’ve loved having Lea. My favorite coordinator in I don’t know how long. But, Damn this doesn’t sound good. Singer reporting that Lea started recruiting for Vanderbilt today. If the defense comes out flat I don’t know if I’ll forgive him for this. ND has a shot at a Conference title and you are recruiting one day before ESD at a complete dumpster fire of a program. Who frickin cares.

It's not like he can just ignore the responsibilities of the job he was just hired for.

 

[DCDomer]

It's not like he can just ignore the responsibilities of the job he was just hired for.

He has a job currently. If he's not all in, he should bounce.

 

[Bluto]

It's not like he can just ignore the responsibilities of the job he was just hired for.

It’s not about ignoring things. It’s about having additional distractions.

 

[NorthDakota]

It's not like he can just ignore the responsibilities of the job he was just hired for.

As a North Dakota State alum...I've seen this situation happen twice in the last several years. Craig Bohl (Wyoming head coach) took the Wyoming job after semi-final win. Defensive coordinator was hired as the head coach. Bohl stayed, along with the staff he was taking to Wyoming. Apparently a lot of crap went down with recruiting files and what not. Dude burned a bunch of bridges but I dont think he cared, his legacy in Fargo was secure and he was never going to be coming back.

A few years later, Klieman (now K State coach) got the job. New head coach was also on staff. Players apparently voted to have him coach title game. Apparently nothing shady went down and everyone was satisfied with the work product.

I'm not sure there is really any other profession where this would be tolerated. If all Clark is doing is calling up Vandy recruits (instead of ND recruits), I dont think its a huge deal. But yeah, you got the biggest game of the year coming up, we would certainly like to have him be all in. Idk how you coach two separate programs at the same time and give either one what they deserve. If Vandy said "yeah we are good with you finishing the season at ND" then please give your attention to ND.

Frankly, it might benefit him to give it all to ND anyway. It will make his recruiting pitches easier if he can go to Nashville as a coordinator from a playoff team who beat Clemson twice in a season. If he has any dreams of returning to ND post-Kelly, I'm sure he realizes the next few weeks of results and his conduct will play as big if not a bigger role than his performance at Vandy will.

I'm not gonna call the move to Vandy a career killer or anything like some have suggested. We will see what happens there. Hopefully he gets 6 wins a season, moves on, and leaves the program there in a better place than he found it.

 

[Luckylucci]

It's not like he can just ignore the responsibilities of the job he was just hired for.

Yes, he most certainly can. He’s coaching a team over arguably the most important 3 week stretch in decades. He most certainly can tell Vandy to hold the F on.

 

[T-Boone]

This might be Lea's only chance to compete for a national championship.
I don't see him giving it anything but 100% focus. Plus 10% on recruiting for Vandy - so that accounts for his full 110%.
I actually will probably follow some Vandy Football now to keep and eye of Lea's progress, so this is good. Lets go!

 

[TP81989]

Yes, he most certainly can. He’s coaching a team over arguably the most important 3 week stretch in decades. He most certainly can tell Vandy to hold the F on.

It's easy for you to say that as a fan.

If he tells their AD that he gets laughed at and isn't even considered for the job anymore.

 

[Ndaccountant]

Yes, he most certainly can. He’s coaching a team over arguably the most important 3 week stretch in decades. He most certainly can tell Vandy to hold the F on.

TBF, ESD is rather important. Let's see what happens after the next 48 hours.

 

[T-Boone]

TBF, ESD is rather important. Let's see what happens after the next 48 hours.

yep, he would be ringing the recruits and introducing himself. It would take an hour total.

 

[zelezo vlk]

It's easy for you to say that as a fan.

If he tells their AD that he gets laughed at and isn't even considered for the job anymore.

I get that Lea has ties to Vandy but...

If he does that, you laugh in the AD's face. You want to hire a successful guy, who just helped lead a team to the playoffs and INSIST that the coaching search be done days before a game confirming they are in? Because that's what Vandy did, they said the search must be done before ESD.

Well then shit, if you interfere with your coach's previous team's effort to win a title and get into the playoffs, then you're gonna lose a lot of candidates. Vandy knows that they can't hold guys forever. And leaving ND in a no man's land right before the ACC Championship Game due to having Lea pull extreme double duties is gonna reflect very poorly on them.

Lea can call their recruits this week, but he should be 100% in on beating Clemson this week.

 

[Irish8248]

Didn't Charlie Weis prep for and win a super bowl while recruiting for ND?

 

[NDdomer2]

Didn't Charlie Weis prep for and win a super bowl while recruiting for ND?

That train rolled on just as well without him so not sure this says too much

 

[MNIrishman]

Why don't coaches have a non-compete clause? Is Vandy paying his salary this season if he's doing work for them?

 

[Irish8248]

That train rolled on just as well without him so not sure this says too much

It took another 10 years to win their next super bowl. Not to say they weren't dominate in that span but 10 years is a significant deviation away.

 

[Irish#1]

Yes, he most certainly can. He’s coaching a team over arguably the most important 3 week stretch in decades. He most certainly can tell Vandy to hold the F on.

This. Given Vandy's current position, holding off for about a month isn't going to change anything for them.

 

[NDdomer2]

Im sure they had him making some calls to currently committed kids about signing today

 

[Henges24]

A lot of overreactions in here.

He was probably calling currently committed kids, since it was the day before ESD, telling them to sign and he’d catch up with them after the season. Hell, even if he had a few projects he had been scoping out I see no problem with giving them an initial jingle.

 

[drayer54]

Why don't coaches have a non-compete clause? Is Vandy paying his salary this season if he's doing work for them?

When chasing a national championship, the coaches would just wait until the title was over before committing to their next school. I think everyone involved benefits from the status quo.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

It's easy for you to say that as a fan.

If he tells their AD that he gets laughed at and isn't even considered for the job anymore.

Eh, I think a school like Vandy, that is way, way down, would be more than happy for Lea to pitch 2-3 great games of D for ND.

If Lea does that, the announcers/media/etc will all be singing praises about him, while still in the spotlight. Vandy can use this as free advertising.

If this were a big-name school, that was trying to "save a recruiting class" etc, it could be a different story.