Notre Dame closed the 2022 season as one of college football’s hottest teams, winners in five of its final six games including a bludgeoning of then-undefeated and top-five Clemson, under first-year, first-time head coach Marcus Freeman.
The Irish’s ability to navigate injuries and early-season woes seemed to resonate throughout the football world. Especially as it came to Notre Dame’s assistant coaches.
Nick Saban and Alabama poached former Irish quarterback and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees; the Indianapolis Colts in mere days’ time earlier this month hired away Notre Dame special teams coordinator Brian Mason, FootballScoop’s 2022 Special Teams Coordinator of the Year, into the same role at the NFL level. Former offensive line coach Harry Hiestand retired.
It could have been an even more substantial offseason of change, Freeman revealed Wednesday. As FootballScoop previously reported, Irish assistants Deland McCullough, Chris O’Leary and Chansi Stuckey all were pursued – and interviewed – for other positions, both around college football and in the NFL.
Freeman, no stranger to being courted after he emerged three years ago as perhaps the top defensive coordinator in college football, said after Notre Dame’s first practice of spring camp that every single full-time assistant on the Notre Dame staff was approached about outside opportunities.
“We had 10 (assistant) coaches last year, all 10 were either approached by other schools to try to go or had NFL interviews; every single one,” Freeman said. “I don't want to get into personal discussions, but it shows you the quality of coaches that we've been very fortunate to hire here. Two, to me, it's the perception of this place.”
Additionally, former Irish analysts Trevor Mendelson and Gus Ragland each landed full-time, Football Bowls Subdivision jobs as offensive assistants at Western Michigan and Miami (Ohio), respectively, and former Irish recruiting assistant Jeremy Larkin snagged the on-field running backs coach’s job at traditionally strong Football Championship Subdivision program Youngstown State.
Freeman elevated Gerad Parker to offensive coordinator, hired former Cincinnati offensive coordinator Gino Guidugli away from Wisconsin to coach the Irish quarterbacks, pulled Joe Rudolph from Virginia Tech to coach the offensive line and replaced Mason with Marty Biagi, a former two-time FootballScoop Special Teams Coordinator of the Year finalist.
McCullough, O’Leary, Stuckey and Al Golden all had conversations with NFL teams, sources shared with FootballScoop, and Stuckey also elicited a measure of interest from two separate Southeastern Conference programs and a Big 12 program, in addition to his interview with the Baltimore Ravens.
A former standout player at Cincinnati who’s entering his fourth season on staff at Notre Dame, Mike Mickens, pursued at least by one Big Ten program, has been elevated to the role of defensive pass game coordinator, and McCullough – who heard from at least three different NFL teams – has been elevated to running game coordinator on the offensive side of the ball.
Freeman said this offseason provided the tangible validation of the Irish staff with the coaches pursued by myriad others and also shared that a high-ranking member of the New England Patriots’ organization heaped praise upon Notre Dame.
“I had the great opportunity to meet with the chief of staff of the Patriots, and what he told was the perception of Notre Dame coaches and players is really high standard, high performance,” Freeman said. “What does that mean? You know what you're getting when you get a coach from Notre Dame, a player from Notre Dame. You know exactly what you're getting.
“It's a compliment to this place. It's a compliment to our personnel, our coaches, our players. At the end of the day, you don't love losing really good coaches, but if it's what's best for them, I'm always going to support them."