Upon arriving in South Bend, Brian Van Gorder inherited Mike Elston as Defensive Line Coach, a vacuum at linebacker after Bob Diaco’s departure for UConn and Bobby Elliott and Kerry Cooks in the secondary.
Kerry Cooks had served and succeeded as the Defensive Coordinator ProTem for the Pinstripe Bowl victory over Rutger’s Scarlet Knights, but was not made the Defensive Coordinator, being passed over in favor of former Broyles Winner and NFL Defensive Coordinator Brian Van Gorder. Cooks was also the lead recruiter for prized safety Prentice McKinney from storied South Oak Cliff in Dallas. McKinney was later denied admission to Notre Dame. We will never know unless Kerry Cooks tells us if either the Brian Van Gorder appointment or McKinney’s non-admission (after Cooks had lost Russell and Hardy to Notre Dame’s academic administration) or both played a part in his departure for Norman. It is of some circumstantial evidentiary value that Prentice McKinney is now matriculating at Oklahoma, and being coached by the very same Kerry Cooks.
Elliott, having stoically, heroically, survived chemotherapy took one for the Notre Dame team and moved down to coach the thinned out, retooled 2014 linebacking corps.
Elston remained with the Defensive Line and Van Gorder helped Elliott with the linebackers.
The season began with defensive promise, pitching the fin de siecle shutout against Michigan and allowing just 12 points a game through the first 5 context. After that, the deluge.
In the offseason, the defensive staff was completely overhauled. No one would remain in the same position.
Kerry Cooks left for Oklahoma, joining two fellow Iowa alums, the brothers Stoops. Elliott, now 61, then moved to a special and new assistant position reporting directly to Kelly, a job involving special projects (the initial of which was a study of if, when and how to make defensive substitutions against up tempo offenses) player development, and some involvement in recruiting coordination (Keep an eye on prized 2017 recruits Isaiah Pryor and E.J. Epenesa as Elliott’s prior relationships may positively influence Notre Dame’s prospects).
Mike Elston, a linebacker at Michigan moved from coaching the defensive line to coaching linebackers, leading a deeper, more mature corps which had survived the 2014 shakedown cruise in the retooling from the 3-4 to the 4-3 (in the course of which the job description of every linebacking position changed significantly).
Elston’s move opened up a position for a defensive line coach. Brian Van Gorder had played football at Wayne State with vet DL coach Keith Gilmore, then the incumbent Defensive Line Coach at North Carolina. Van Gorder and Gilmore had toiled side-by-side in the urban foxholes at Wayne State. Further, Gilmore, considered a first rate teacher of pass-rushing skills, had coached under both Gilmore and Kelly in his prior stops. It was an easy, comfortable decision for both parties, a near “no-brainer.” Keith Gilmore is now Notre Dame’s Defensive Line Coach, and will shepherd the 11 DL in the frosh and soph classes: Grant Blankenship, Jonathan Bonner, Andrew Trumbetti, Kolin Hill, Jay Hayes, Daniel Cage, Jerry Tillery, Pete Mokwuah, Micah Dew-Treadway, BrandonTiassum and Elijah Taylor.
The secondary position vacated by Kerry Cooks was open, but not for long. Todd Lyght did not have much coaching experience, but he had played cornerback at Notre Dame at an All-America level, including on the 1988 Championship Team, Notre Dame’s Notre Dame’s most recent. Lyght was recently nominated for the College Football Hall of Fame.
After Notre Dame, Lyght prospered in a 12 year NFL career, was All-Pro in 1999 and was a key cornerstone at cornerback for the St. Louis Rams Super Bowl Champs. Lyght then embarked on a successful business career, on the way to endowing an academic scholarship fund at Notre Dame, one beneficiary of which became a Rhodes Scholar.
Todd Lyght was an RKG even before the phrase became a part of Fighting Irish vocabulary. Van Gorder wanted to install NFL coverage and responsibility principles for his defensive backs, and one can merely surmise that the conversation with Lyght was both short and involved much nodding. Early returns indicate that Lyght is locked in with his charges and early signals indicate that he will be successful on the recruiting trail.
Do not be shocked if, in a few years, discounting for the profile difference between defensive backs and offensive linemen, Lyght becomes the “Harry Hiestand” of defensive backs, both as a recruiter and teacher. He is the first Notre Dame alum to coach on the defensive side of the ball since George Kelly.
Coaches neither play nor serve as guarantors of the health of their charges. But the pieces of the puzzle interlock tightly, the vectors are aligned, and the readiness is all.
Coaching matters. And this staff Van Gorder has assembled is poised to take advantage of a talented, veteran, leader rich, deep cadre of players.
Go Irish!
Burgy,
“Anytime you can work duty into a post is a victory in my book”
I suppose this might shed some light on the fascination with bj….. his posts are loaded with doody.
shane, I agree with you about the chip on their shoulder. You may want to read an article from some guy named “duranko” on “DWAS, Defenders with attitude.” It might be responsive to your comment. but more importantly you will, YOU WILL see it against Texas.
Anytime you can work duty into a post is a victory in my book.
We need this years defense to come out with a chip ln gheir shoulder and keep their foot on the throats of opposing offenses for 4 quarters. Killer instinct i understand its hard to keep other team from scoring as long as they earned it not by mental lapses by our defense. Communication is key to our success that everyone knows their duties on the field.
They need to get it togethet
Last year a disaster
“Further, Gilmore, considered a first rate teacher of pass-rushing skills, had coached under both Gilmore and Kelly in his prior stops. ”
How could Gilmore coach under Gilmore??
Oh Greg Bryant
BVG a great DC
I have a feeling the Irish are going to be ranked in the top 10 defenses this upcoming season.
Solomon, thanks for your kind words. In the lean years of Faust, Davie and Judas Iscariot Weis I strove to become a fan/student of college football beyond South Bend, and tried to learn how programs succeed. I lubs dem Irish but try to be accurate and analytical in describing them. You know, compartmentalization.
On a related matter, you talked ,in another thread about character making a difference. Chip Kelly recently, and famously said “It’s culture, not playcalling that wins football games.” Any comment on that?
Duranko-you have some prophetic like qualities and observations concerning the depth on both sides of the pigskin. Nice job! Shows rational thinking.
Archangel, this defensive staff is intriguing, but what is even more remarkable is that what was young and inexperienced, in the passage of one year, has become mature and experienced.
It is likely that no underclassman will start, unless Morgan is able to lap Grace and Schmidt in the preFall.
And, suddenly the defensive roster is deep.
As to your other point, on blocking, this OL is much different from the OL that STARTED against Rice.
Looking at the regular season schedule, I cannot see an opponent that will outtrench us on both sides of the ball.
Lots of dues were paid in 2014. Let’s see if its time to collect.
Angel-count on wins, and many of them!
re: Cooks- all you mentioned above might have indeed led to his departure. When you don’t get the next promotion, then lose two of your potential future stars to the ‘frozen five fiasco’, then lose out on a top recruit through academic barriers (doubtful that will happen at Soonerville), all of that might indeed signal it’s time for a change. His relationship with BK, left unsaid, might have been the most obvious reason why he left for a parallel position elsewhere, but it’s unlikely that will never be discussed by Cooks.
We often talk about chemistry within a team; it’s also likely how critical is chemistry within a staff, and the newbies might indeed be a great complement to the existing staff already in place with their excitement to return to South Bend (Denson & Lyght) and the return of a coach (Gilmore) comfortable with Van Gorder. Barring key injuries, improvement in blocking and defense seem likely, which should lead to more yards/points and more stops. It’s difficult not to get excited about this team’s potential.
Translating that potential into wins must now happen.