It seems like Notre Dame football is at a major crossroads, with significant changes happening after an impressive 14-2 season. Despite the success, it's clear that the program's staff turnover is creating some big challenges for head coach Marcus Freeman. But it also looks like Freeman is working diligently to navigate these changes by bringing in some strong new hires.
Chris Ash replaces Al Golden
The decision to replace Al Golden with Chris Ash seems strategic, especially considering Ash's background with defensive backs and his leadership beside Luke Fickell. Golden's style was clearly popular, so it'll be interesting to see if Ash’s fiery approach can maintain that same level of success. His expertise should complement the strong defensive talent already present, but the transition could still have its bumps.
Ja’Juan Seider is a big get
With the talented trio of Jerimiyah Love, Jadarian Price, and Aneyas Williams at running back, having someone with Seider’s track record will certainly keep that position as a strength. His experience with developing 1,000-yard rushers at Penn State is a major win for the Irish.
A new GM (Mike Martin)
The search for a new General Manager is definitely an intriguing one. The evolving nature of college football’s rules around recruiting, the transfer portal, and NIL demands a savvy, experienced leader. Mike Martin seems like an excellent choice to help navigate this new era, and building out a robust scouting department could help the Irish gain an edge on the competition, especially with such a complex landscape.
Building for Long-Term Success
All in all, Marcus Freeman is making moves to stay ahead of the curve, and while there are inevitable challenges, these hires could help position Notre Dame for continued success. It's exciting to see how these changes will unfold and if they'll pay off in the long run. What do you think of these moves? Does the future of Notre Dame football look bright to you?
Most college programs would be devastated to lose the best quarterback in school history. Notre Dame will show no such remorse a year from now when top Heisman Trophy candidate Brady Quinn is in training camp for one lucky NFL team. When the arguably greatest quarterback in Notre Dame history ends his collegiate career this January, Jimmy Clausen, possibly the greatest quarterback in the history of the high school game, will take his place.
Clausen was the highest recruited player in college football history before he ever even took the SAT's. At 6'3", 200 pounds, he is the starting quarterback at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, California. In his sophomore year, Clausen had a 69% completion percentage, passed for 3,665 yards, with 58 touchdowns and just six interceptions. These are misleading numbers since he rarely played the second half of most games due to his team's dominating performances. This year he threw for 2,778 yards, with 30 touchdowns, five interceptions and a completion percentage of 67%. Don't let these stats fool you either. He was just as dominant as his sophomore year, the only difference being he was busy giving the ball to Marc Tyler, who expects to be this upcoming season's top recruit at running back.
Clausen has good lineage to play the quarterback position. His oldest brother Casey started for four years at The University of Tennessee, ending his career just behind Peyton Manning as the best quarterback in school history. His other brother Rick was given a scholarship to LSU and was red-shirted his freshman year. After transferring to Tennessee in June of 2003, Rick was a part-time starter for the Volunteers last season and was the MVP of the Cotton Bowl two seasons ago. His father was also an assistant coach for several Southern California high school and college teams.
"Jimmy has the leadership of Casey, the intangibles of Rick and the skills of Dan Marino," said Steve Clarkson in an interview with Sports Illustrated's Kelli Anderson. Clarkson is a private quarterback coach who works with Jimmy just as he did with Casey and Rick. The up and coming Clausen has an arm that rivals the best players of his age group, the composure necessary for big game situations and a quick release that is unrivaled. His mechanics are extremely polished and consistent. This results from Clausen holding the ball as high as his ear.
Back in Kelli Anderson's November interview, former Cleveland Browns quarterback and NFL MVP Brian Sipe said, "I've never seen anyone with a quicker release than Jimmy has." Having coached against Clausen, Sipe should know better than anybody. Oaks Christian defeated his team 49-24.
"He is as technically perfect as anyone I've ever seen," says Carpinteria coach John Hazelton, who's team lost to Clausens' 48-10 last October. In Anderson's interview Hazelton stated, "He has every ball. He can throw a 50-yard ball on target to the corner of the end zone. He can throw a rocket up a seam between safeties. He has the deep ball over the top, with a perfect touch on it, very accurate. And he has great, great feet. He is beautifully coached. I'm sure he could play at some Division I colleges right now."
If it wasn't for the acquisition of Head Coach Charlie Weis last off-season, Jimmy Clausen would be going to either USC or South Carolina by now. But by Clausen passing on big nme school for a chance to play for Weis, Steve Spurrier and Pete Carroll shows what it means for him to play under a great coach. Before Weis joined Notre Dame, Clausen wasn't even considering becoming part of the Fighting Irish. The greatest evidence that Weis is the right coach for Clausen is Brady Quinn's record-setting year under Weis' coaching. "I think every high school quarterback would want to play under Coach Weis," said Clausen when interviewed by the Associated Press.
Considering that Notre Dame's chances of winning a National Championship are very good this year with Quinn taking the snaps, is it possible that the Irish legacy could skyrocket with one National title. The team looks to be a dominant force for the next four or five seasons not just because of Clausen but the players he's bringing along with him. They already include tight end Mike Ragone, linebackers Aaron Nagel and Kerry Neal and defensive end Justin Trattou.
Clausen said that Weis' four Super Bowl victories were important in his decision.
"That's what I'm going to come here for, to try to get four national championship rings," he said in the AP's interview. That's the ultimate fantasy for most high school recruits. In Clausen's case, it's only a matter of time.