Notre Dame’s impressive staff assembly under new and first-time head coach Marcus Freeman is continuing ahead of the Fighting Irish’s spring camp, which opens in two weeks.
Multiple sources tell FootballScoop that Notre Dame is expected to add former Northwestern tailback Jeremy Larkin to the Irish staff in a senior analyst role.
Per sources, Larkin is coming aboard the staff to work with the Fighting Irish defensive backs.
His addition continues Notre Dame’s ongoing staff reshaping under Freeman, hired in December by the school after Brian Kelly abruptly departed for LSU.
A former Wildcats running back forced to medically retire from football due to a spinal condition, Larkin has been at his alma mater in a defensive graduate assistant role for the past two seasons.
The additions of Larkin, and Ronnie Regula, a former Miami Hurricane who is going to also work on the defensive side of the ball with new Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden, the former Hurricanes’ head coach, help replace Nick Lezynski. Last month, the popular Lezynski was hired by Clark Lea at Vanderbilt to coach the Commodores’ linebackers.
Atop those moves, Notre Dame has held onto and promoted Trevor Mendelson. Considered one of the sport’s top young coaches of offensive linemen, Mendelson a year ago was hired away from an on-field position at Richmond University to work as assistant offensive line coach for Notre Dame.
Multiple sources indicated that Mendelson had almost immediately been offered a spot on Kelly’s new LSU staff in Baton Rouge, La., in a top-tier analyst role, but instead is being elevated into a senior offensive analyst role.
Mendelson, who last season drew praise from Irish star right guard Cain Madden for his work with the group, is expected to work with the Irish’s quarterbacks and tight ends alongside offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. Mendelson and Rees have quickly formed a close-knit bond and tight working relationship, a key factor in Mendelson’s decision to remain in South Bend, Ind.
Rees, of course, fielded multiple offers this offseason to bolt from his alma mater, including what sources told FootballScoop was a nearly $2 million offer to join the first-year Miami staff of new ‘Canes’ head coach Mario Cristobal.