Notre Dame’s coaching staff same some turnover during the 2018 off-season with Mike Elko leaving Notre Dame for a big pay day in a lateral move after just one year. Clark Lea was elevated to defensive coordinator after originally following Elko to Notre Dame from Wake Forest during Notre Dame’s complete makeover of the coaching staff in the 2017 off-season. With Elko’s departure, Notre Dame also added a new defensive backs coach to handle the safeties in Terry Joseph. Joseph came to Notre Dame after a season with North Carolina.
On the offensive side of the ball, Notre Dame lost long time offensive line coach Harry Hiestand. Hiestand left Notre Dame to return to the NFL to coach the offensive line of the Bears after seven years at Notre Dame that produced four first round draft picks – Zack Martin, Ronnie Stanley, Mike McGlinchey, and Quenton Nelson. Jeff Quinn, a coach with a long history with Brian Kelly, was elevated to replace Hiestand after serving as an offensive analyst/assistant for two years.
| Name | Position | Years at Notre Dame | Previous Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Kelly | Head Coach | 9 | Head Coach Cincinnati (2009-11) |
| Chip Long | Offensive Coordinator / Tight Ends | 2 | Offensive Coordinator Memphis (2016) |
| Autry Denson | Running Backs Coach | 4 | Assoc. Head Coach Special Teams Coord. Linebackers Indiana State (2009) |
| Tommy Rees | Quarterbacks Coach | 2 | Defen |
| Jeff Quinn | Offensive Line Coach | 1* | Head Coach Buffalo (2010-2014) |
| DelVaughn Alexander | Wide Receivers | 2 | Wide Receivers/TE (2012-2016) |
| Clark Lea | Defensive Coordinator Linebackers Coach | 2** | Linebackers Coach Wake Forest (2016) |
| Mike Elston | Defensive Line Recruiting Coordinator | 9 | Defensive Line Coach Notre Dame (2015-2016) |
| Terry Joseph | Defensive Backs Coach (S) | 1 | Defensive Backs Coach North Carolina (2017) |
| Todd Lyght | Defensive Backs Coach (CB) | 4 | Defensive Backs Coach Philadelphia Eagles (2013-14) |
| Brian Polian | Special Teams Coordinator | 2 | Head Coach Nevada (2013-2016) |
* Jeff Quinn was an offensive analyst for Notre Dame for two seasons prior to being name OL coach. He is in his first year of coaching the OL at Notre Dame in 2018.
** Clark Lea has been at Notre Dame for two seasons as of 2018 but has is only in his first year as defensive coordinator in 2018.
Windbush God bless him is not a pocket passer, but after watching our offense struggle again against Vanderbilt , it dawn on me that Wimbush would be deadly in a triple option scheme! Am I the only one thinking like this?
Now that Allen Pinkett has more time on his hands, he may be available to help His alma Mater.
I sure hope so. Allen was in my dorm (Howard Hall, then a men’s dorm) in Fall, 1985.