With the recent (soon to be official) additions of John McNulty and Mike Mickens, Notre Dame’s 2020 Coaching Staff is finally complete.
| Name | Position | Years at Notre Dame | Previous Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Kelly | Head Coach | 10 | Head Coach Cincinnati (2009-11) |
| Tommy Rees | Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks | 4 | Offensive Analyst San Diego Chargers (NFL) |
| Lance Taylor | Running Backs Coach | 2 | Wide Receivers Coach Carolina Panthers (NFL) |
| John McNulty | Tight Ends Coach | 1 | Offensive Analyst Penn State |
| Jeff Quinn | Offensive Line Coach | 6 | Head Coach Buffalo (2010-2014) |
| DelVaughn Alexander | Wide Receivers | 4 | Wide Receivers/TE (2012-2016) |
| Clark Lea | Defensive Coordinator Linebackers Coach | 4 | Linebackers Coach Wake Forest (2016) |
| Mike Elston | Defensive Line Recruiting Coordinator | 10 | Defensive Line Coach Notre Dame (2015-2016) |
| Terry Joseph | Defensive Backs Coach (S) | 3 | Defensive Backs Coach North Carolina (2017) |
| Mike Mickens | Defensive Backs Coach (CB) | 1 | Cornerbacks Coach Cincinnati (2018-19) |
| Brian Polian | Special Teams Coordinator | 4 | Head Coach Nevada (2013-2016) |
| Matt Balis | Strength & Conditioning Coordinator | 4 | Strength and Conditioning Coordinator UConn (2014-2016) |
- After a year as an offensive analyst and two as the quarterbacks coach at Notre Dame, Tommy Rees was promoted to offensive coordinator in January, replacing Chip Long who was dismissed following the 2019 regular season.
- John McNulty was named Long’s replacement at tight end’s coaching following Rees’s promotion. McNulty joined the Irish staff after a year as an offensive analyst at Penn State.
- Mike Mickens rounded out the 2020 Irish coaching staff by replacing Todd Lyght at cornerbacks coach. Lyght left the program following Notre Dame’s Camping World Bowl victory over Iowa State.
Anxious to see how Rees and Taylor work together and with Quinn and McNulty to co-ordinate the O’ attack.
It’ll be interesting to see how DC Lea will balance the D’ scheme with the new starters among the safeties (and a lack of proven depth among CBs), even though Hamilton has already established himself as a rising superstar.
Will Lea’s D’ primarily rely on a front four to pressure and drop seven to help pass protect, or will he remedy the secondary inexperience by pressuring QBs like the Ryan Bears’ of old did to compensate for their unheralded CBs Richardson and Frazier?
The dominant Bears D’ of 35 years ago modernized D’ strategy, and I’ve been waiting for pressure schemes from the teams I follow since.
But I’ve learned that other than rare disappointments (SC last year for one), Coach Lea has been impressive and successful in his strategy.
Let’s hope these coaching changes can take Notredame to a national championship. I truly believe the talent is there but the offense has to be great in order for Notredame Dame to go all the way imo.