FOOTBALL

A look inside Brian Kelly's process for finding the next Notre Dame offensive coordinator

Eric Hansen
South Bend Tribune

SOUTH BEND — Brian Kelly deferred Saturday when pressed as to why and why now offensive coordinator Chip Long is suddenly Notre Dame football’s former offensive coordinator and not its current one.

But what the Irish 10th-year head coach repeatedly called a move that was “in the best interests of the football program” will also be his guiding mantra in cultivating a replacement.

Kelly also let it be known Saturday that public/media sentiment in determining what those best interests should look like will be met with a similar response to that of an average person when a stranger offers them a piece of unwrapped candy from their pocket.

“I’ve already made a tough decision,” Kelly said of the 36-year-old Long’s departure this week, that had nothing to do with a mostly impressive three-year statistical bottom line.

“I’ve had to make other tough decisions. I made them a few years ago. I had to let go of guys who stood up in my wedding. So I’m not afraid to make tough choices.”

The latter was after a 4-8 record in 2016, when Kelly ended up with seven new assistants (including new leadership in strength and conditioning) for 2017. It was a revolution of sorts that put the Irish on a 32-6 track, including 10-2 this season, heading into their Dec. 28 Camping World Bowl date with Iowa State (7-5) in Orlando, Fla.

This move will be branded more of an evolution, at least by Kelly. Same basic offensive structure, he said after Saturday’s first bowl practice, with some discernible tweaks and nuances

So where is this all headed, short term and long term?

Kelly was emphatic that the short-term look heading into the bowl, with elevated roles for quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees and running backs coach Lance Taylor, isn’t necessarily what’s in store for 2020 and beyond.

“I think all of it is an evaluation process for me,” he said. “I have not made any decisions on whether it’ll be a new offensive coordinator from the inside. Will I bring somebody from the outside? I have some thoughts as to what it should look like, but no decisions have been made.

“This is a great job, so I think you can imagine the kind of interest that has come across my desk relative to wanting to be the offensive coordinator here. I know there’s a lot of speculation that one of the coaches has already been named. That’s unfounded.

“We’re going to do a thorough evaluation and search and find what I would consider the best coach that fits Notre Dame.”

For now Rees, 27 and in his third year as ND’s quarterbacks coach, will be the passing game coordinator for the bowl. Taylor, 38 and in his first year at Notre Dame, will be the running game coordinator.

Both are internal candidates for the permanent offensive coordinator job. One of them will be calling plays in the bowl game. Neither one has any experience with it.

Kelly hasn’t made up his mind yet which one, but he is adamant it won’t be him this month or after the new coordinator is hired.

“I’ve moved past that role,” he said.

Coaching tight ends, Long’s former position group, in the interim are offensive analyst Pat Kramer and David Keli’ikuewa Kekuewa, who goes by “Chief” and who had been a defensive grad assistant this season.

If Kelly selects an outside candidate for the coordinator position, that person won’t necessarily have to slot in as the tight ends coach.

“I could hire an offensive line coach,” Kelly said. “I could hire a tight end coach. I could hire a quarterback coach. I’m going to hire the best coach that I believe fits what we have currently.

“Now, that’s not to say that I want to move any of the coaches that I have on the staff. I think I’ve got good football coaches.

“But I don’t know how to say this any clearer: I’m going to do what’s in the best interests of this football program — not me. I’m not going to do what’s in my best interest.”

Whoever that turns out to be will be coordinator No. 6 of the Kelly Era. Charley Molnar, currently the wide receivers coach at Idaho, was Kelly’s first at ND and decidedly a swing and a miss,

Kelly then flipped his defensive backs coach Chuck Martin to offensive coordinator for the 2012-13 seasons. Martin left after 2013 to become head coach at Miami (Ohio), where he just won his first Mid-American Conference title this season.

Mike Denbrock was elevated to offensive coordinator in 2014, then again to associate head coach/wide receivers in 2015. Mike Sanford spent 2015 and 2016 with the title of offensive coordinator, but it was Denbrock, Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator these days, calling plays those two seasons.

Long followed Denbrock, with a short résumé when it came to play-calling but a strong penchant for it, per Kelly, nonetheless. His abrasive style in practice became more noticeable and pronounced, though, when Clark Lea became ND’s defensive coordinator.

As Kelly ponders his next move, he’s well aware that the hire could catalyze a team with enough certain pieces and a short enough list of ifs to make a playoff run in 2020.

“I think anytime you’re scoring points at the level that we were, you’re pleased in that respect,” he said of the 2019 Irish. “There were some other things that, certainly, I wasn’t pleased with. But overall this was not an offense that lagged in the back half of many categories. It was in the top half or the top third of many.

“Is that the only way you judge an offense? Probably not. But by and large this offense, we’re not going to run the ball 655 times like they did in ’89 (actually 673). By and large the product and what it resulted (in) was pretty darn good.

“We’re going to have a really good football team coming back. A REALLY good one. Schedule is challenging but one that will position ourselves, with games with Wisconsin and Clemson and USC to name a few.

“So we want the best staff, moving forward, to put our players in the best position to succeed and win a national championship.”

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has shuffled his staff to make up for the departure of offensive coordinator Chip Long.