Who do you want to replace Brian Kelly?

[IrishSteelhead]

Who do you want to replace Kelly and BVG?

Who do you want to replace Kelly and BVG?

Until Notre Dame lightens up on their academic policies and test scores to get into Notre Dame it will be hard to compete with the Ohio States and Alabamas every year.

IMO it doesn't work that way. If a player wants to get pushed through the system while playing football, they will go to a state school in a college town. The only reason ND even gets the good players they do is the allure of going to a prestigious university. Those guys aren't going to a college in South Bend, IN if they want nothing but football. ND becomes Purdue if playing football is the only selling point.

 

[tussin]

Until Notre Dame lightens up on their academic policies and test scores to get into Notre Dame it will be hard to compete with the Ohio States and Alabamas every year.

I disagree. A transformational coach is all that is needed at ND. Look at Michigan -- they were a dumpster fire of a program until Harbaugh came along. Now they are world beaters. Heck, Bama wasn't anything special until Saban came in there and got the ball rolling in the right direction.

ND recruits almost all the top guys every year. If we had the next Saban or Meyer leading us, then guys like Caleb Kelly and Jeff McCullough would actually choose ND instead of going somewhere else.

 

[GATTACA!]

Guys at II completely disagree then. They all have him as being a pretty realistic shot and said he'd be great at bringing back a simplified, fundamental defense. OSU has had some pretty solid defenses. Are you saying Fickell isn't the reason they're good?

That's my understanding from living in the area and interacting with OSU honks constantly. No one was surprised by his interim stint.

 

[koonja]

Guys, BK isn't leaving unless things continue to go severely South. And even then, I bet they hire the DC at the end of the year, so that can be his safety ticket. I think we should focus on who we want as a DC, because that's the only significant change I see happening, and I'd bet all of my vbucks on it.

 

[irishff1014]

Right, so any spread coach looks at this team with Wimbush waiting in the wings, tons of talent on the OL, a stable of RBs, and tons of depth at WR AND $6mil/year to coach on the biggest stage and it's attractive.

Our biggest issue is stupid scheduling which is going to cause coaches to doubt how much they can win early in their tenure.

I know I am not coach but if I was the schedule would be a challenge I would look forward too. I think it's fair to say we play 5 really good teams a year plus navy the rest of then are just good to average.

 

[irishff1014]

Guys, BK isn't leaving unless things continue to go severely South. And even then, I bet they hire the DC at the end of the year, so that can be his safety ticket. I think we should focus on who we want as a DC, because that's the only significant change I see happening, and I'd bet all of my vbucks on it.

I have said this in a few threads. I don't lime the culture he has created here but he isn't getting fired. He will be given probably 2 here with his new defensive coordinator . Jack won't eat that kind of money.

 

[koonja]

I have said this in a few threads. I don't lime the culture he has created here but he isn't getting fired. He will be given probably 2 here with his new defensive coordinator . Jack won't eat that kind of money.

I agree. I'm tired of him not taking accountability, having questionable RS decisions, and not creating an atmosphere of passionate players that enjoy the game. But I think he stays. And I DO think he can still get us through the playoffs here if he hires a very good DC and fires LONGO.

 

[IrishBroker]

I agree. I'm tired of him not taking accountability, having questionable RS decisions, and not creating an atmosphere of passionate players that enjoy the game. But I think he stays. And I DO think he can still get us through the playoffs here if he hires a very good DC and fires LONGO.

Yep.

I still don't think he's the guy that breaks our drought. The next coach will win our first title since 88. Book it

 

[dang227]

That's my understanding from living in the area and interacting with OSU honks constantly. No one was surprised by his interim stint.

Has Fickell ever been a solo DC? Hasn't he always been Co-DC?


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[Bluto]

I agree. I'm tired of him not taking accountability, having questionable RS decisions, and not creating an atmosphere of passionate players that enjoy the game. But I think he stays. And I DO think he can still get us through the playoffs here if he hires a very good DC and fires LONGO.

In regards to the whole Longo thing. On the most recent Irish Illustrated podcast they seemed to think much of the lack of physical development of certain individual players lies at the feet of those individuals and a big part of that is their individual lack of effort combined with crappy eating habits. Considering its not an across the board problem I would tend to believe that more so than the Longo conspiracy theory.

 

[irishff1014]

I agree. I'm tired of him not taking accountability, having questionable RS decisions, and not creating an atmosphere of passionate players that enjoy the game. But I think he stays. And I DO think he can still get us through the playoffs here if he hires a very good DC and fires LONGO.

I would agree. His offense is very dangerous as long as he doesn't get conservative early or try to get to cute with the play calling.

 

[Spitfire]

Look, I want Kelly gone. The question is if you can't land Herman (which sounds like the case), why not roll the dice on a big hire, and when I say that I mean....why not Jon Gruden? People may scoff but let's look at this:

- Lightning rod in recruiting. Kid's will line up to play for him and his tenacity and work ethic will kill it on the recruiting trail. I think being surrounded by the Harbaugh's and Meyer's you better have someone that can go toe to toe with them in recruiting. Notre Dame sells itself but add a Gruden to the mix and that would be a hard combo to turn down.

- He is going to bring a top notch coaching staff with him, likely former NFL coordinators. Again I think this is a plus in recruiting because they are going to be able to sell getting kids to that next level based on experience.

- There could be legit interest on his end with the family ties. Still only 53 years old and has been open to returning to coaching if the right opportunity came along. I would imagine Notre Dame could be that unique opportunity.

If they fire Kelly and can't get Herman, I'd rather roll the dice on Gruden and what he could bring before hiring another mediocre coach who never get's this program over the top.

 

[Meatloaf]

In regards to the whole Longo thing. On the most recent Irish Illustrated podcast they seemed to think much of the lack of physical development of certain individual players lies at the feet of those individuals and a big part of that is their individual lack of effort combined with crappy eating habits. Considering its not an across the board problem I would tend to believe that more so than the Longo conspiracy theory.

I know that it falls on the individual, but if it's so pervasive that it's so noticeable, then it points to more of a cultural issue. This would fall on Kelly and the S&C program.

 

[BeauBenken]

ND might not get Peterson, Patterson, or Herman. ND might not be desirable to 9 out of the top 10 coaches. But there are about 20 guys right now that seem rather obvious upgrades over Kelly and it's basically a guarantee that we'd get one of them.

Not arguing with you but who are these guys if not Herman, Patterson, or Peterson?

Lax, please answer. I'm curious as to what 20 guys are obvious and obtainable upgrades.

 

[GATTACA!]

Has Fickell ever been a solo DC? Hasn't he always been Co-DC?


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Only this year.

 

[Circa]

Any true fan of Our University has eyes for what is happening. Let's just be happy we aren't a Duke football team and that down year wasn't the staple we needed.

 

[ulukinatme]

Man - if everybody thought like you did then we wouldn't be able to field a team more less find a good coach. The challenge is what makes it great and winning at ND is bigger than winning anywhere else. Its hard and if your successful -l extremely rewarding. The Legacy of having your name mentioned with the icons of college football history is what ND can give you if you can handle all that you stated

No, he was actually right about a lot of things. It's rare we get our first choice in coaches because this isn't the job it once was. Don't get me wrong, it's still a decent job, but it comes with a ton of baggage and ridiculous expectations. Winning at ND is incredibly rewarding, challenging, and looks like the ultimate job to the fan perspective as you described. To an unbiased coach it looks like a daunting task to manage the scholar side of things, placate boosters/alumni, all the while trying to win a National Championship every year.

There are few jobs in college football that are tougher, that's why most coaches burn out and retire or they get fired. The average number of years for the typical ND coach is just 4-5 years. The average number of years for the elite ND coach is 11 years with Rockne's 13 being the most. Kelly is already in year 7, so you have to figure he's not going to be here much longer...one way or another. Knute died, Ara retired at only 51 for health issues, Leahy had to give up coaching at 45 for the same reason, and Lou was basically forced out. Point is, it's a hellacious job, even for the ultra successful, and very very few coaches fall into that category.

 

[Circa]

The team that took bama down to the wire and smoked Georgia 45 - 14?

I need to find that wire and ask It a few questions...

 

[IrishLax]

Look, I want Kelly gone. The question is if you can't land Herman (which sounds like the case), why not roll the dice on a big hire, and when I say that I mean....why not Jon Gruden? People may scoff but let's look at this:

- Lightning rod in recruiting. Kid's will line up to play for him and his tenacity and work ethic will kill it on the recruiting trail. I think being surrounded by the Harbaugh's and Meyer's you better have someone that can go toe to toe with them in recruiting. Notre Dame sells itself but add a Gruden to the mix and that would be a hard combo to turn down.

- He is going to bring a top notch coaching staff with him, likely former NFL coordinators. Again I think this is a plus in recruiting because they are going to be able to sell getting kids to that next level based on experience.

- There could be legit interest on his end with the family ties. Still only 53 years old and has been open to returning to coaching if the right opportunity came along. I would imagine Notre Dame could be that unique opportunity.

If they fire Kelly and can't get Herman, I'd rather roll the dice on Gruden and what he could bring before hiring another mediocre coach who never get's this program over the top.

Problem is Jon Gruden makes $6 mil/year for ESPN. He'd be an amazing hire... I see no way he jumps back into coaching though, because he literally has the best job in football.

 

[koonja]

I'm going to keep my eye on Wisconsin's DC, Justin Wilcox. He's a first year guy, and I've watched their LSU and MSU games and was extremely impressed considering they have had 4, 4-star guys (.89 through .93 being the highest) on defense signed since 2012. That defense has no talent and they play like a top 10 defense. At least so far.

No idea who Justin Wilcox is, he doesn't even have a wiki page, but I'm keeping an eye on him.

Ok so they're paying him ~ 700K per year. Apparently he was previously USC/Washington's DC.

Badgers football: UW defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox to earn $1.45 million over next two years | College Football | host.madison.com

 

[GATTACA!]

I'm going to keep my eye on Wisconsin's DC, Justin Wilcox. He's a first year guy, and I've watched their LSU and MSU games and was extremely impressed considering they have had 4, 4-star guys (.89 through .93 being the highest) on defense signed since 2012. That defense has no talent and they play like a top 10 defense. At least so far.

No idea who Justin Wilcox is, he doesn't even have a wiki page, but I'm keeping an eye on him.

Ok so they're paying him ~ 700K per year. Apparently he was previously USC/Washington's DC.

Badgers football: UW defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox to earn $1.45 million over next two years | College Football | host.madison.com

That all sounds great but how are his abs?

 

[koonja]

That all sounds great but how are his abs?

Longo will turn him into a donut bag either way so who cares.

 

[NorthDakota]

Today on the radio they talked about ND fans wanting Kelly gone. Pretty weird because they rarely talk FBS or ND. The host thought anyone asking for Kelly to be gone better be careful what they wish for. I'm inclined to agree.

 

[dang227]

Only this year.

I thought Schiano was Co DC?


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[Domina Nostra]

I really wish we could be a little better about naming these threads if we are going to discuss such broad topics under them.

I understand that some people need to burn the house down, but personally I don't want anyone to replace Kelly and I bet a lot of other fans don't either. I want a new DC and some more consistent recruiting.

It doesn't always have to be all sunshine or all storms.

 

[IrishLax]

Lax, please answer. I'm curious as to what 20 guys are obvious and obtainable upgrades.

Kind of defeats the point of my post saying 9 of 10 might not be interested, no?

Peterson
Patterson
Herman
Shaw
Mullen
Stoops
Petrino
Dantonio
Gundy
Schiano
Freeze
Whittingham
Fitzgerald
Cryst
Fleck
Jay Gruden
Josh McDaniels
Bill O'Brien
Mike McCoy
Jason Garret

I'd take literally any of those guys over Kelly right now.

 

[IrishLax]

I'm going to keep my eye on Wisconsin's DC, Justin Wilcox. He's a first year guy, and I've watched their LSU and MSU games and was extremely impressed considering they have had 4, 4-star guys (.89 through .93 being the highest) on defense signed since 2012. That defense has no talent and they play like a top 10 defense. At least so far.

No idea who Justin Wilcox is, he doesn't even have a wiki page, but I'm keeping an eye on him.

Ok so they're paying him ~ 700K per year. Apparently he was previously USC/Washington's DC.

Badgers football: UW defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox to earn $1.45 million over next two years | College Football | host.madison.com

Everyone knows who Wilcox is. He was highly thought of in Washington, but blamed a lot at SC. It's hard to know how much of the defense this year is him being good and how much is Aranda's work setting him up for success.

 

[IrishBroker]

Kind of defeats the point of my post saying 9 of 10 might not be interested, no?

Peterson
Patterson
Herman
Shaw
Mullen
Stoops
Petrino
Dantonio
Gundy
Schiano
Freeze
Whittingham
Fitzgerald
Cryst
Fleck
Jay Gruden
Josh McDaniels
Bill O'Brien
Mike McCoy
Jason Garret

I'd take literally any of those guys over Kelly right now.

No

 

[IrishLax]

No

Seriously? I can understand no Garret, but McDaniels would be a home run. Only reason he "failed" in Denver was Tebow... he literally got fired over one decision he never should've been in position to make.

 

[Polish Leppy 22]

Haven't had time to read all 6 pages but...

Texas fires Charlie Strong and Strong goes to ND as DC?