<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Breaking: <a href="https://twitter.com/NDlacrosse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NDlacrosse</a> defensive coordinator Gerry Byrne informed his Fighting Irish players on Saturday night that he will become the next head coach of <a href="https://twitter.com/HarvardMLax?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HarvardMLax</a>, sources told IL (via <a href="https://twitter.com/tyxanders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tyxanders</a>): <a href="https://t.co/UvWm5XUetA">https://t.co/UvWm5XUetA</a></p>— Inside Lacrosse (@Inside_Lacrosse) <a href="https://twitter.com/Inside_Lacrosse/status/1145148849910104064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Going to be realllllly interesting to see what ND does here to replace Gerry Byrne. He was an absolute institution in South Bend, and I think the only way his replacement will work out is if he does his own thing and doesn’t try to mimic what was in place.
Friends, Parents, Alumni of ND Lacrosse
Late yesterday afternoon I accepted a position at Harvard to become the next Head Coach at the University.
It would be a tremendous understatement to say that this was one of the most difficult decisions of my adult life. As you all know Notre Dame is more than the physical buildings or the history and traditions. It is an ethos, a spirit that permeates the place and ultimately seeps into your bones and your own being. You transmit it to your children and extended family and if you are luck they embrace it as well.
I was fortunate enough to be here long enough to see and feel all of that happen and more. I was able to Coach and mentor my Godson Will Corrigan and watch my own son Pierre become a great, selfless, kind, team first middle for ND, just as Will had done and modeled before him. I watched my daughter compete at ND and blossom into a beautiful smart woman now heading to Med School. I proudly watched my wife firmly establish herself as a talented and compassionate physician in town as she delivered 100's of babies into the world, many of them connected to ND in some way. I spent more nights in hotels rooms on the road with KC, Brian Fisher, Rob Simpson, Matt Karweck, Kevin Anderson, Neil Hutchinson, Jon Rodak, Kevin Dugan, Jason Lamb than I can remember. What I will remember of those nights are the stories, and the laughter in the retelling that never seemed to get old.
I was able to meet and get to know 100's of players and their parents. The players, some who are now firmly in their 40's with their own young families and others just starting the real world as graduates are some of the finest people I've ever met. They were open to the message of what ND was about and the pathway it could provide for their sons as people, players and members of the ND Community. They embraced the uniqueness of my family and welcomed them as their own making all of my kids feel like they were part of the brick and mortar of Arlotta. Your sons, the players were a joy to coach, a pleasure to mentor, cared for each other, protected one another, competed at the highest level and left here fortified for the world with their values enhanced and intact to face the world.
That true success is the ultimate honor for a coach, to know you played a role in delivering on the promises made in recruiting, having young men embrace the opportunities and see the finished product shine, on the practice field, in the locker room, on the graduation stage, in the NCAA Tourney or in their personal and professional lives.
I watched Coach Corrigan steward the program to incredible heights, proud of the part I played as his assistant coach. He saw that your 4 years here should be more than what happens on the field. His radical candor regarding what ND Lacrosse should be about invigorated our recruiting and set the trajectory for the last 15 years. I was honored to be his assistant and proud of all of our accomplishments together. I will forever grateful that he took a chance on me in the summer of 2006 to come back to ND.
If you are reading this and you are a former player that I coached, thank you for believing in the vision we had for ND and the program. If you are a parent, I hope we delivered on what was promised and that your son left here the kind of man, teammate, person, son you hoped he could If you are an alum, thank you for supporting this special place, and making myself and family feel so welcome and appreciated.
I can't thank you all enough for my time here, you all gave me more than I could ever give you in return.
Take Care & God Bless.
GB
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Breaking: <a href="https://twitter.com/NDlacrosse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NDlacrosse</a> defensive coordinator Gerry Byrne informed his Fighting Irish players on Saturday night that he will become the next head coach of <a href="https://twitter.com/HarvardMLax?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HarvardMLax</a>, sources told IL (via <a href="https://twitter.com/tyxanders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tyxanders</a>): <a href="https://t.co/UvWm5XUetA">https://t.co/UvWm5XUetA</a></p>— Inside Lacrosse (@Inside_Lacrosse) <a href="https://twitter.com/Inside_Lacrosse/status/1145148849910104064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Going to be realllllly interesting to see what ND does here to replace Gerry Byrne. He was an absolute institution in South Bend, and I think the only way his replacement will work out is if he does his own thing and doesn’t try to mimic what was in place.
Good for him! He deserves a shot as a head coach. People should be waiting in line to interview for his position. Hopefully they nail it!
Totally agree Gerry deserves another shot at being a head coach (see his past head coaching record below). That being said, the gig is completely different than being a coordinator and Harvard hasn't been "friendly" to HCs. Not sure if its the Harvard culture, the fact the AD is a former coach and a successful one at that or what but the Program has "buried" many a coach's career. Gerry may very well be the one to bring the Crimson back to Ivy League championships and NCAA tournament appearances. He has a great opportunity to be like Yale's Andy Shay or Princeton's Bill Tierney.
2004 4-9 Gerry Byrne
2005 8-7 Gerry Byrne
2006 4-11 Gerry Byrne
Three year W-L record: 16-27 (3)
Big problem for him will be that the Ivy League is incredibly deep now. Used to be a 1 or 2 team league. And even Tilman wasn't "successful" there before getting the Maryland gig... he had near a .500 record.
But you should be able to recruit at a high level there, and if you can win at Yale/Penn/Brown like we've seen the past few years there is no reason you can't do it at Harvard.
Maybe Will Corrigan who knows the offense and defense. Definitely will be a former player. “Look for KC to coach both sides of the ball. Recruiting could suffer unless KA steps on...
Ryan Wellner from Navy to be new DC in South Bend.
I think he was sour he didn't get the head coaching job at Navy. Corrigan should be comfortable giving him full control of the D. Is this a good hire or a home run hire? Not sure.....
As good of a hire as ND could’ve made. Needed a defensive mind and someone who could recruit, off the top of my head I can’t think of anyone on the market that would’ve been better on paper.
Agree completely. Just hope KC lets him coach otherwise it could be a short stay. Ryan is his own man and an accomplished coach not a newbie. Hope GB fills his staff at Harvard with proven coaches. My guess is he goes back to his Irish roots and recruits coaches with strong ND ties. AI restrictions and the lack of athletic $$ will limit his pool of applicants somewhat but its easier to recruit to the East Coast than rural Indiana. Guessing he knocks it out of the park recruiting wise.
Anyone else watch the Premier League Lacrosse championship just now? The Redwoods, who have several ND guys (Perkovic, Kavanagh, Garnsey), came back from a 9-2 deficit but dropped in OT. Unfortunately, that scenario is all too familiar for the guys. Great season of a well-run lacrosse league, though.
Sounds promosing....Incoming recruiting class ranking from Insidelacrosse
2. Notre Dame
Top 100: Jonathan Ford, Marco Napolitano, Tate Young
Top 50: Max Schalit, Jake Taylor, Reilly Gray, Patrick Kavanagh, Liam Entenmann
While Kevin Corrigan’s staff took a hit, new Fighting Irish assistants Chris Wojcik and Ryan Wellner walk into a favorable position with their freshmen. Accompanied by a strong group of non-hotbed longpoles in front of him, top-ranked keeper Liam Entenmann should make an early push for time. Attackmen Patrick Kavanagh and Jake Taylor should to fit in well with the Irish attack. The Fighting Irish graduated a lot in the middle of the field, so this crop of six midfielders could be leaned on going forward.
Liam Entenmann is one of my favorite kids. So happy for the player he has become. Great kid from a great family.
Liam Entenmann is one of my favorite kids. So happy for the player he has become. Great kid from a great family.
Irish team pummeled the alumni this past Saturday. Hope that bodes well for the Spring. Given the quality of new staff, don't be surprised if the new DC isn't a giant gust of fresh air at South Bend. If they can resolve the keeper issue, this team will be a top 5 defensively. Not sure about the offense as they've lost a lot of firepower over the past two years. But sometimes a team of "no names" is exactly what you need to have a balanced offense. Lastly, the Irish have the best FOGO they've had in a decade.
I'm going to see them play next weekend, hope to see some of the young guns shine. Attack is really the only position I've got worries about... Garnsey illustrated in the playoffs just how much they missed an "alpha" for most of last season.
I'm going to see them play next weekend, hope to see some of the young guns shine. Attack is really the only position I've got worries about... Garnsey illustrated in the playoffs just how much they missed an "alpha" for most of last season.
Write-up from InsideLacrosse.com on Notre Dame's fall scrimmage....Sounds promosing....LAX did you go???
Notre Dame
The Irish were on another level in terms of athleticism, especially when teams went to their benches to mix in a few more players. They were the bigger, faster, stronger team and it showed in their ability to win the 50-50 groundball battle and ride it back.
Offensively, they stuck to what we have come to know from Notre Dame. They initiated with a long dodge out of the box, trying to draw a slide and move it quick through X to the backside. The most impressive part of the Irish offense was in the secondary portion. They did a great job working their matchup from X, either on a solo dodge off the endline or out of a big/little look and getting their hands free up the hash. They shot a great percentage and seemingly made the defense pay for not sliding all day.
Notre Dame was dominant in the middle of the field and created several transition opportunities because of it.
Freshman Pat Kavanagh had a solid showing all day but looked especially crisp in transition with his hands free; he made great reads and took what the defense gave him. Sophomore Griffin Westlin also impressed and may have been the best all-around attackman we saw. He did just as good of a job finding space and working without the ball as he did putting pressure on the defense as a dodger.
At this point, we have a pretty solid idea of what the Irish are getting from upperclassmen like reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Year Bryan Costabile, Brian Willetts and Connor Morin. If that is going to change, there wasn’t much indication of it in this scrimmage.
Defensively, this unit was tough to beat, led by senior Jack Kielty, who will anchor as the top cover guy of the group. He handled his matchup in both games which allowed for the off-ball defense to stay home. Kielty certainly seems poised to give many of the top attackman nightmares in the upcoming season. Both the Tigers' and Raiders' offenses were extremely pick-heavy. and the Notre Dame defense did a good job of sticking to their pick rules and not allowing the offense to come off hands free or manipulate matchups.