With the 2022 Notre Dame football season right around the corner, we’re updating our roster, coaching staff, and depth chart pages – starting with the coaching staff. Notre Dame’s coaching staff in 2022 will look much different than it did a year ago following Brian Kelly’s abrupt departure from Notre Dame while the Irish were still fighting for a spot in the playoffs. Marcus Freeman was named the 30th head coach in program history as Kelly’s replacement and ended up revamping most of the staff after it initially looked like there would be more stability in the transition.
| Name | Position | Years at Notre Dame | Previous Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Freeman | Head Coach | 2* | Defensive Coordinator Notre Dame |
| Tommy Rees | Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks | 6 | Offensive Analyst San Diego Chargers (NFL) |
| Deland McCullough | Running Backs Coach | 1 | RB Coach Kansas City Chiefs |
| Gerad Parker | Tight Ends Coach | 1 | TE Coach / Co OC West Virginia |
| Harry Hiestand | Offensive Line Coach | 1** | OL Coach Chicago Bears |
| Chansi Stuckey | Wide Receivers Coach | 1 | Wide Receivers Baylor |
| Al Golden | Defensive Coordinator Linebackers Coach | 1 | Linebackers Coach Cincinnati Bengals |
| Al Washington | Defensive Line | 1 | Defensive Line Coach Ohio State |
| Mike Mickens | Defensive Backs Coach (CB) | 3 | Cornerbacks Coach Cincinnati |
| Chris O'Leary | Defensive Backs Coach (S) | 5*** | Georgia State Graduate Assistant |
| Brian Mason | Special Teams Coordinator | 1 | Special Teams Cincinnati |
| Matt Balis | Strength & Conditioning Coordinator | 7 | Strength and Conditioning Coordinator UConn (2014-2016) |
* Marcus Freeman is in his first season as head coach but second season with Notre Dame
** Harry Hiestand is in his first year back with Notre Dame but previously served as OL coach from 2012-2017
*** Chris O’Leary is in his second season as safeties coach but his fifth year overall with Notre Dame after being a graduate assistant from 2018-2020.
Recapping Notre Dame’s New Coaches
- Chansi Stuckey (WR) – Stuckey came to Notre Dame from Baylor and has made an immediate impact on the recruiting trail for the Irish.
- Harry Hiestand (OL) – Hiestand came back to Notre Dame for a second stint to take over for Jeff Quinn.
- Gerad Parker (TE) – Came to Notre Dame from West Virginia where he served as TE coach and Co-Offensive Coordinator.
- Al Washington (DL) – After leaving Ohio State, Washington was unemployed for about five minutes before he came to Notre Dame to replace Mike Elston.
- Al Golden (DC/LB) – Golden returned to the college game to be the defensive coordinator for the Irish after a stint in the NFL. Golden was the only coach with head coaching experience to join Freeman’s staff.
- Brian Mason (ST) – Mason coached with Freeman at Cincinnati and jumped at the opportunity to join him in South Bend when Freeman set out to build his first staff.
Recapping Coaches Out
- Brian Kelly (HC) – left Notre Dame for a bag of cash to be head coach at LSU
- Del Alexander (WR) – was not retained by Marcus Freeman after a disastrous close to the recruiting class of 2022 that left the Irish with just one wide receiver
- John McNulty (TE) – initially stayed with Freeman and Notre Dame before leaving to be the offensive coordinator at Boston College.
- Jeff Quinn (OL) – was not retained by Freeman
- Mike Elston (DL) – left Notre Dame for a lateral move to his alma mater Michigan after spurring Kelly initially to stay at Notre Dame
- Brian Polian (ST) – only Notre Dame assistant to follow Brian Kelly to LSU but was unlikely to be retained by Freeman.
In your recap lists, you left out Deland McCullough and Lance Taylor.