Loy wasn’t so sure and Loy is never wrong…:) but a Moorhead type. If not for him/equivalent (without maybe the reputation but same offense and talent calling plays) I think Lewis is the next best thing.
i think that we have to keep in mind that he was just trying to win at Kent state. I am sure he did not get there just by running this offense. But he found a way with what he had. it´s always so tough to say but this would be risky
Give me elite production whatever way you can get it it. I'm so tired of hearing about balance in an offense and then having zero productivity in most big games against legit defenses.
Was one of those twitter accounts that just throws shit against the wall, but it mentioned that Prister has confirmed that Johnson would be on campus after the Super Bowl. I had/have not seen that from Prister.
D3's List Spoiler ight now here are the names that I will be focusing on. If more are added we’ll let you know. Right now Notre Dame is still very much in the vetting stage. The list of names will be bigger than what I focus on, and some names now won’t be on as they get through the vetting process. ND isn’t as far along as people wanting to claim there’s a “leader” Joe Brady, Bills QB – Brady is unlikely to return to college but we have been told there is legitimate interest on the Notre Dame side. I believe he and Marcus Freeman know each other through the coaching ranks and Freeman is very high on his talent and ability as a coach. The hold up, of course, is that Brady has never hidden the fact he wants to be in the NFL, so the odds aren’t great. This would be a splashy hire if Notre Dame could make it happen. Andy Ludwig, Utah OC – Ludwig is in my personal top group and his offense would be the easiest to transition to Notre Dame. According to multiple sources I do believe he’s someone that Notre Dame has some level of interest in. How deep remains to be seen, and I don’t know if Ludwig would be interested if ND made a push, we’re still digging into that. This would be a home run hire if Notre Dame could make it happen. Joe Moorhead, Akron HC – This is an interesting coach to consider with Morehead already being a head coach. According to my sources, Moorhead isn’t necessarily keen on becoming a coordinator again, but there is one job that he would consider, and it’s the Notre Dame job. I won’t be surprised to see Notre Dame reach out, if they haven’t already done so. It might be a tough sell, but Morehead’s track record is certainly worth it. Collin Klein, Kansas State OC – This is a newer name on the list that really intrigues me. Klein was the OC for just one year at Kansas State, but the Wildcats won the Big 12 and scored their most points since 2014 despite losing their starting QB for half the season. KSU also had a 40+ yard per game jump in rushing this season and a 50+ yards per game on offense jump. The system would transition relatively smoothly for Klein, who showed he can design an offense for a mobile QB (Adrian Martinez) and a less than mobile QB (Will Howard). He’s a KSU alum, but Rees was a Notre Dame alum before he bailed. Sean Lewis, Colorado OC – This is a very intriguing name on the list. The former head coach at Kent State who was hired this offseason to be the OC at Colorado, Lewis built Kent State into a respectable program with some very good offensive years. The concern is that he runs a Dino Babers style spread, although his version runs the ball more than most of Babers’ offenses. But it’s a very dramatic scheme shift if Notre Dame went this route, which makes the fit with the current staff not great. Jason Candle, Toledo HC – Candle is considered the leading candidate for the Miami OC job, but I expect Notre Dame to vet him as well. He’s from Ohio, played college ball in Ohio and has only ever coached in Ohio, so Notre Dame would be a much better fit should the Irish go that route. He has run different types of offenses at Toledo, molding his system to fit his QB, which is something I like. Being a head coach also gives him bonus points in my view. Gerad Parker, Notre Dame TE – I’m not sure he’ll be able to get the job this go-round, but he should get a look. He’s a very smart coach according to sources, and he did very well with the tight ends this year. If a couple of the top targets don’t pan out I could see a Co-Coordinator situation with a QB coach that is brought in. If Parker sticks around for a couple of years I could see him replacing whoever the next hire is.
Collin Klein is a great name I hadn't heard before. That's a hell of an offense that would fit in really well at ND Ludwig isn't sexy but would probably fit the best from a current personnel perspective. That being said, even in a Lewis spread, I'm not sure how different of a team we line up next year
Klein would be very nice. But unlike Thomas, I’d imagine he has some integrity so that might be a tough sell.
Who would be your top 3 candidates? I was going to say, if anything, that list might be too top heavy
same I love Utah’s offense- it’s multiple, spread, and smash mouth at the same time. He also puts the QB under center
I like Jack, but I'm kind of glad that he's tied up with the BB coach and the NBC deal. I'd rather this be Marcus' hire with the AD's blessing as opposed to vice versa.
I'm sure he is, but I'm not sure how much choice Marcus had with Tommy and Al, which I get given the inexperience. But this is clearly Marcus' program, now and, while Jack should have a say and final sign-off, he shouldn't be dictating who the candidates are.
If Jack is heavily involved, that’s a red flag in the first place. How much trust in your head coach do you actually have if you can’t give them autonomy in hiring their staff? Granted, from a practical standpoint and given where Freeman is in his career, I absolutely get it. But that just brings up larger questions around whether Freeman should’ve been selected as our HC in the first place.
Think it was more that the landscape is such that nd needed to hold the fort or spend years rebuilding so it made it harder to not hire freeman.
I think the story is that Jack felt backed into a corner with Freeman by the fanbase and the players. He didn’t get a chance to really do his thing
Also with fickel not leaving until after the bowl and no other “sure thing” candidates I don’t think he had much of an option.
"Right now" is doing a lottttt of heavy lifting in this quote, but I don't have access to the article
Interesting article from Stats & Analytics on Rees: "To me, the most notable finding from this visual is his 2nd & 7+ performance which appears to show a lack of situational awareness. 2nd & long should never be a rushing scenario unless you’re trying to bleed the clock. Frustratingly, Rees consistently treated it like a 3rd & 1 and threw the ball 14% (!!!) fewer times than expected, which rated 121st in the country. While Notre Dame ranked 39th in 2021, in 2020 they came in at a paltry 96th. Moreover, the ‘21 number could also be explained away by the offensive line’s struggles in run-blocking to begin the year." https://shakedownthenumbers.substac...ama?r=1ifqyf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
"If everyone else passes on second and long, no one will expect it if I run it 86 percent of the time." - Tom Rees
This goes back to the whole “staying on-track” narrative that was reminiscent of what you hear about triple option offenses. Im generally against creating totally arbitrary rules, but I don’t want narratives that apply to triple option offenses to also apply to our offense. I don’t want to “stay on track”. I want to score points.
I get that the analytics community thinks that every team regardless of makeup should conform to certain tendencies... ...but if you have Audric Estime in and you are against a light box you run the ball on 2nd and 7 ten times out of ten. Hell on 3rd and 11 it sometimes was the best play. Oddly we threw the ball on 3rd and short way more than normal IIRC. Every playcall in today's game is either a straight up rpo or at least has a check to a run or pass based on the look. This is what makes evaluating the Packers offense impossible at times too. Ok the play was a disaster but what did LaFleur/McCarthy actually call and what did Rodgers call himself.
I’d be interested to know on average what the results were? I remember way too many 3rd and 6 plays. Also, being that limited at QB changes a lot, but the fact you are that limited is on you.