In a brief, ascending career, Trevor Mendelson has worked with some of college football's most notable figures.
Mendelson likewise earlier spent a year working with one of the young coaches considered a rising star in the sport: Lance Taylor.
New Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor, that is.
Now Mendelson, who worked with Taylor at the University of Notre Dame during the 2021 football season, is set to reunite with Taylor at Western Michigan.
Multiple sources tell FootballScoop that Mendelson is going to be among Taylor's first hires as an offensive assistant for the Broncos' program. Mendelson's coaching background working with offensive linemen, tight ends and quarterbacks affords Taylor some versatility for where Mendelson coaches.
Western Michigan officials formally introduced Taylor as the program's next head coach Dec. 8, some 10 days after parting with Tim Lester, who closed his career with an above-.500-record (37-32) but dipped to 5-7 in 2022.
A former standout offensive lineman at Marshall, Mendelson has carved a quick path in coaching under coaches including Wake Forest's Dave Clawson, former Irish head coach Brian Kelly, current Notre Dame head man Marcus Freeman and Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, with whom Mendelson worked most closely during the 2022 season.
After helping out along Notre Dame's offensive line in 2021, Mendelson shifted responsibilities this past season in his senior offensive analyst role to work more closely with the Irish quarterbacks and tight ends. He became a staple alongside Rees in the coaches' box on gamedays.
Mendelson also had a previous stint as an on-field offensive assistant at Richmond.
Hired away from Louisville after helping coordinate the Cardinals' offense the past year, Taylor is still finalizing his inaugural WMU staff while also working to secure commitments for the Broncos' program prior to Wednesday's early national signing day.