Next ND Offensive Coordinator - the search

[Irish#1]

Saw somewhere (the athletic I think) that Moorhead is making 450k at Akron. So we can quadruple that easily. I’d suggest if he “wants to be a head coach” in 2025 being OC at ND is a better path than HC at Akron

Agree. Being a HC at a MAC school isn't the same as being a coordinator at one of the top FBS schools.

 

[Irishdrunk]

Because some want to think that there’s some force at the university holding the program back from winning. It’s literally only NIL that ND is slightly behind in. I guess facilities too.

It’s a few things - especially for the top recruits that can go anywhere they please. NIL, facilities, flexible academics, Not in a major conference. Notre Dame is just a special place and only so many recruits will get it. But these Top 50 players can demand everything to what they want.

 

[stlnd01]

It’s a few things - especially for the top recruits that can go anywhere they please. NIL, facilities, flexible academics, Not in a major conference. Notre Dame is just a special place and only so many recruits will get it. But these Top 50 players can demand everything to what they want.

We don't offer upfront NIL and we expect our student-athletes to take the student part seriously. That's it, and in some cases those are real difference-makers when it comes to landing top recruits. Especially the NIL right now (though sometimes the student part works in our favor).
Nothing else is really "holding us back" anymore, and certainly not the budget for assistant coaches.

 

[IrishLax]

Nepotism gets your foot in the door. Doing your job well leads to interest from Miami, LSU, and Bama, not nepotism. Tommy certainly didn't waste talent at ND, if anything he got more of less when you look at the QBs we had.

It’s like the Kyle Shanahan effect. People in DC claimed “nepotism” instead of paying attention to the fact that he was really good at his job. Now he’s an elite HC on the 49ers and no one says a peep about how he got started.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

It’s like the Kyle Shanahan effect. People in DC claimed “nepotism” instead of paying attention to the fact that he was really good at his job. Now he’s an elite HC on the 49ers and no one says a peep about how he got started.

He's one of the best play calling offensive minds on Earth right now but of course can't keep a QB healthy for the life of him. If he gets someone in there who can stay healthy and still has all of those wonderful toys offensively, he's going to get a Lombardi Trophy.

Tommy is smarter and far more adept than people give him credit for.

 

[Giddyup]

Does everyone think Jeff Grimes is off the table? I’ve got a feeling in my plums MF and Swarbrick are gonna go for a splash hire.

 

[greyhammer90]

My big concern with Moorhead is the below. Credit to IrishIllustrated:

The year before his arrival as offensive coordinator at Oregon – a position for which Tommy Rees interviewed as well – the Ducks were No. 16 in the country in scoring offense at 35.4 points per game. The year after his tenure (2022), they were No. 9 at 38.8 points per game. During Moorhead’s two seasons in Eugene, the Ducks were No. 41 in scoring at 31.3 and No. 42 at 31.4.

Potential Offensive Coordinator Candidates for Notre Dame

The following is a veritable smorgasbord of offensive coordinator candidates for Notre Dame. All are considered potential replacements for Tommy Rees, according to sources close to Irish Illustrated and 247Sports, as Marcus Freeman seeks the newest member of his coaching staff.

247sports.com

So Moorhead took a team that was No. 16 in offense, he made them No. 40ish for two years, and then when he leaves Oregon is back up to No. 9.

 

[IrishLax]

My big concern with Moorhead is the below. Credit to IrishIllustrated:

Potential Offensive Coordinator Candidates for Notre Dame

The following is a veritable smorgasbord of offensive coordinator candidates for Notre Dame. All are considered potential replacements for Tommy Rees, according to sources close to Irish Illustrated and 247Sports, as Marcus Freeman seeks the newest member of his coaching staff.

247sports.com

So Moorhead took a team that was No. 16 in offense, he made them No. 40ish for two years, and then when he leaves Oregon is back up to No. 9.

Moorhead’s offense is a one-trick pony. It’s a good trick if you have the personnel to run it, but otherwise it’s an inconsistent mess.

 

[FDNYIrish1]

Excellent point about the similarity between Tommy and Shanahan. They both blew seemingly insurmountable leads under the bright lights. I’d make this italics but I’m 50 and don’t know how.

 

[Huntr]

Candle is on the Miami wish list so you better get after him quickly, if you're interested.

 

[arrowryan]

My big concern with Moorhead is the below. Credit to IrishIllustrated:

Potential Offensive Coordinator Candidates for Notre Dame

The following is a veritable smorgasbord of offensive coordinator candidates for Notre Dame. All are considered potential replacements for Tommy Rees, according to sources close to Irish Illustrated and 247Sports, as Marcus Freeman seeks the newest member of his coaching staff.

247sports.com

So Moorhead took a team that was No. 16 in offense, he made them No. 40ish for two years, and then when he leaves Oregon is back up to No. 9.

Wasn’t Justin Herbert there the year before Moorhead got there? I have a feeling J Herb had a lot to do with that success.

 

[NDRock]

My big concern with Moorhead is the below. Credit to IrishIllustrated:

Potential Offensive Coordinator Candidates for Notre Dame

The following is a veritable smorgasbord of offensive coordinator candidates for Notre Dame. All are considered potential replacements for Tommy Rees, according to sources close to Irish Illustrated and 247Sports, as Marcus Freeman seeks the newest member of his coaching staff.

247sports.com

So Moorhead took a team that was No. 16 in offense, he made them No. 40ish for two years, and then when he leaves Oregon is back up to No. 9.

I’d say Herbert graduating had some affect on the dip in ‘21. Not sure about the other years.

 

[dublinirish]

San Francisco 49ers

Bobby Slowik is in his 10th year in the NFL and first as the team's offensive passing game coordinator. He spent the 2021 season as San Francisco's offensive passing game specialist after working the previous two seasons (2019-20) as a 49ers offensive ass

www.49ers.com

Was listening to a few NFL podcasts about future OC's in this hiring cycle and Slowik was mentioned as a fast riser along with previously mentioned on here Brian Johnson. I'd think MF would prefer a veteran guy but if you are looking for the next LaFleur type to go from Pass game/qb coach bridge to OC then Slowik might be him

 

[irishog77]

My big concern with Moorhead is the below. Credit to IrishIllustrated:

Potential Offensive Coordinator Candidates for Notre Dame

The following is a veritable smorgasbord of offensive coordinator candidates for Notre Dame. All are considered potential replacements for Tommy Rees, according to sources close to Irish Illustrated and 247Sports, as Marcus Freeman seeks the newest member of his coaching staff.

247sports.com

So Moorhead took a team that was No. 16 in offense, he made them No. 40ish for two years, and then when he leaves Oregon is back up to No. 9.

Could be concerning for sure.

PPG as a stand-alone stat can sometimes be difficult to analyze the entire offense. Particularly without knowing the head coach, personnel, individual QB, turnovers, leads the team has, etc.

Chip Long was brought in to help fix red zone efficiency. He mostly did that. But then left a trail of destruction on the rest of his O on the way out.
I winced every time ND had 1st and goal this year with Pyne as QB, even more so when ND didn’t score on their 1st down run.

Late in the season this year, Monken started getting shit when Georgia started having red zone “issues.” But Georgia figured it out in championship game and the playoffs. Maybe it was a matter of self-scouting, tweaking something, changing personnel, or simply executing better.

As Lax said, if Moorehead is a one trick pony, then it could definitely be an issue with his entire O. If not, it could be a fluke on the stat lines?

 

[SoIll]

I for one am not on the Moorehead train, Unfortunately that's who its going to be I feel like.

 

[Irish14]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

I don't follow other offenses as much as you all do. Do we have any stats sites that show OC hiring dates and PPG deltas? Also, do we have anything that shows rosters weighted by their 247 average vs competition? This would be the start of understanding who can turn around an offense and who can do more with less.

 

[rtrn2glory]

Has the start of spring ball been announced yet? I would think unfortunately, that will accelerate the timeline, which could hinder who we decide to bring in.

 

[Free Manera]

I see a lot of people intrigued by Brian Johnson but I don't know much about him. He seems to have jumped around a ton (not that its unusual for an assistant coach) and most of his gigs have been QB coach.

After looking into it more, I think I would prefer Ludwig over everyone. He seems to be the perfect fit for Freeman's philosophy. Plus Utah takes USC's lunch money constantly.

 

[rtrn2glory]

Good point on Ludwig owning USC. I guess I never took that into effect.

 

[Dale]

Ludwig and Moorhead both have warts that we may be pushing aside a bit here so far but I think are high floor hires and palatable.

The only issue I can find with Brian Johnson is he won’t be here very long - are you even getting two years? Otherwise he’s the far superior hire IMO.

 

[Free Manera]

Ludwig and Moorhead both have warts that we may be pushing aside a bit here so far but I think are high floor hires and palatable.

The only issue I can find with Brian Johnson is he won’t be here very long - are you even getting two years? Otherwise he’s the far superior hire IMO.

That's what I keep reading but I don't know why. What's the story with him?

 

[Irish#1]

Ludwig and Moorhead both have warts that we may be pushing aside a bit here so far but I think are high floor hires and palatable.

The only issue I can find with Brian Johnson is he won’t be here very long - are you even getting two years? Otherwise he’s the far superior hire IMO.

Everyone's got warts. So much of a coaches record is dependent on the players he has and a lot of times he doesn't have absolute control so he has to use what he's given. Think back to Harry and how the Vols dumped him and many didn't want him at ND. To me the key is consistency and their ability to learn an adapt to their personnel.

 

[Domina Nostra]

The two things that make hiring coaches SOOOOO hard is:

- So much of success depends on players (e.g., "Clemson had a top 5 offense for years before Brandon Streeter took over, now they are top 50..." (disregard obvious drop-off from DeShawn Watson + Trevor Lawrence to consensus #1 recruit DJ U).

- In the eyes of the fans (your customers), the coach's results in the pervious year are disproportionately important to the rest of his career, no matter the reasons (e.g., 2020: "I was on the Jim Harbaugh bandwagon for years, until he was exposed by OSU again last year. He can't win big games.")

 

[Dale]

Everyone's got warts. So much of a coaches record is dependent on the players he has and a lot of times he doesn't have absolute control so he has to use what he's given. Think back to Harry and how the Vols dumped him and many didn't want him at ND. To me the key is consistency and their ability to learn an adapt to their personnel.

It just seems odd that there is almost a romantic longing for a power run scheme with limited QB and vertical passing game when that’s kinda what we universally agreed is needed from Rees to take the next step.

 

[NDFAN2008]

Ludwig and Moorhead both have warts that we may be pushing aside a bit here so far but I think are high floor hires and palatable.

The only issue I can find with Brian Johnson is he won’t be here very long - are you even getting two years? Otherwise he’s the far superior hire IMO.

Yeah Brian Johnson would be my first choice Ludwig second I like Ludwig for the simple fact he has had success against USC lately.

 

[stlnd01]

Basically Dan Mullen’s protege + Eagles experience this year.

He also beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl when he played QB for Utah. So he knows how to do that. 😉

I’m fine with a two-year rental on an up-and-comer, personally, if it’s the right guy. I’m also fine with Ludwig (who, small world, was Johnson’s OC in his first go-round at Utah and so also has that Beating Bama wisdom). Or Moorhead. Just not Gattis or Parker. We seem to have some good options here.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Ludwig and Moorhead both have warts that we may be pushing aside a bit here so far but I think are high floor hires and palatable.

The only issue I can find with Brian Johnson is he won’t be here very long - are you even getting two years? Otherwise he’s the far superior hire IMO.

Good coaches don't stick around long anywhere anyways. See Bama. They're on what, their 6th new OC in 8 years? Not because guys suck and get fired, but because they're great coaches and moved up to better jobs. Next man in, continue to dominate. That's what healthy programs should want. It will just attract other big name coaches.

 

[Domina Nostra]

He also beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl when he played QB for Utah. So he knows how to do that. 😉

I’m fine with a two-year rental on an up-and-comer, personally, if it’s the right guy. I’m also fine with Ludwig (who, small world, was Johnson’s OC in his first go-round at Utah and so also has that Beating Bama wisdom). Or Moorhead. Just not Gattis or Parker. We seem to have some good options here.

THANK GOD for Sam Hartman. If I were an OC, that would totally change the calculus for accepting or not.

 

[Pennick44]

Don't get the Leftwich talk. He just got canned by TB and Brady was running the offense.