SOUTH BEND, Ind. — For the second time in a calendar year, Marcus Freeman is hunting for an offensive coordinator. A year ago, the catalyst was Nick Saban sending a plane to fetch Tommy Rees, who has since helped get the Crimson Tide back to the College Football Playoff. Now it’s Gerad Parker headed to Troy as the Sun Belt champions’ new head coach, after Freeman supported Parker’s return for a second season as Irish OC.
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The coordinator search that took Freeman from Rees to Parker included two highly public interviews of Kansas State’s Collin Klein (who recently became Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator) and Utah’s Andy Ludwig, in which Notre Dame’s head coach showing a willingness to step outside of his comfort zone to court both. For reasons both contractual and personal, neither coordinator joined Freeman at Notre Dame. Parker had no such hesitation, betting on himself in a way that has now rewarded him with his first head coaching job.
Ultimately, that might be Freeman’s best pitch as he looks for a coordinator to lead Notre Dame’s offensive rebuild. If a coordinator is a wild success at Notre Dame, he’ll get a head coaching job. He might even get one just for putting in two solid seasons. Whether it’s Clark Lea, Mike Sanford, Chuck Martin, Bob Diaco, Parker or even Freeman himself, stepping into the shine of Notre Dame can lead to brighter lights.
Where might Notre Dame turn?
Freeman has shown a willingness to go back to his roots at Cincinnati. Finding a run-first (or at least run-flexible) play caller would be a preference, but that philosophy can’t include an antiquated call sheet. And recruiting chops are a must, although player development is the bigger key.
Here are seven candidates worth knowing, broken down by category.
The Home Run
LSU offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock
Put aside the karmic potential of Notre Dame hiring away LSU’s offensive coordinator after the programs engaged in multiple tugs-of-war for coaching talent over the past few years. Denbrock would be close to what Marcus Freeman would create in a lab as his next offensive coordinator.
They have a working relationship from Cincinnati. Denbrock coaches tight ends, the position group that needs a coach following Parker’s departure. Denbrock gets Notre Dame, having worked for 10 years here under two different head coaches. And the native of Homer, Mich., less than two hours from Notre Dame, has seen some things on Saturdays, good and bad. He wouldn’t get frazzled when game plans need adjustments, nor would he be naive to the challenge of playing on the road. On top of that, Denbrock just helped develop Jayden Daniels into a Heisman Trophy winner.
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He recently resisted overtures from Texas A&M, working on a new three-year contract to stay with Brian Kelly. Would he turn down Notre Dame, too? It’s a call Freeman has to make to find out. LSU led the nation in scoring, yards per carry, pass efficiency and yards per play in 2023.
The Al Golden of Offense
Toledo head coach Jason Candle
Candle may have taken the Toledo program as far as he can take it during the past eight seasons, which have included two MAC championships plus an appearance in this year’s conference title game. The idea of a head coach leaving a MAC job for a coordinator job elsewhere isn’t unprecedented, considering Sean Lewis left Kent State for Colorado last winter; Lewis was hired to be San Diego State’s head coach in late November. Candle has coached receivers and tight ends during his career and logged four seasons as Toledo’s offensive coordinator before being promoted to head coach.
Akron head coach Joe Moorhead
Moorhead’s star has fallen thanks to back-to-back 2-10 seasons at Akron, but like Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator, he is blessed with extensive coaching experience and has seen seen the highs and lows of the profession. Nothing about being offensive coordinator at Notre Dame should take Moorhead by surprise, considering he has also run successful offenses at Penn State and Oregon. The Irish showed at least some initial interest in Moorhead a year ago, although nothing came of it. His ability to coach up quarterbacks and steer through storms could be attractive.
The Next Big Things
Missouri offensive coordinator Kirby Moore
The younger brother of Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator and legendary Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore burst onto the Power 5 scene this season at Missouri after being hired away from Fresno State. The Tigers were phenomenal offensively, finishing 10-2 and pushing Georgia in Athens. Moore’s lack of experience is hardly ideal after Parker’s one-and-done stint as offensive coordinator, but Freeman pursued Collin Klein a year ago as an up-and-comer from Kansas State. The Irish couldn’t get a deal done, and Klein is now with Mike Elko at Texas A&M. Moore built an offense around former walk-on running back Cody Schrader, who finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting, and former five-star receiver Luther Burden.
Ole Miss co-offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.
A familiar name who still considers South Bend home, regardless of his coaching moves around the Southeast. In two years at Ole Miss, the Rebels have won in multiple ways. A year ago, that meant the nation’s third-most rushing yards per game, behind only Army and Air Force (plus a No. 10 finish in yards per rush). This year it meant constructing a top-15 passing offense (No. 6 in yards per attempt, No. 12 in passer rating) while balancing a quarterback room that included Jaxson Dart, Spencer Sanders and Walker Howard. Lane Kiffin is an offensive-minded head coach, there’s a reason he has hired Weis more than once. Weis may be young, but he has four seasons of offensive coordinator experience on his resume already.
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The In-House Hires
Notre Dame quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli
Guidugli has just one season of offensive coordinator experience, during Luke Fickell’s final year at Cincinnati before following Fickell to Wisconsin. Guidugli arrived in Madison as the Badgers’ tight ends coach, then landed at Notre Dame coaching quarterbacks in the same offseason after the departure of Tommy Rees. Parker often described Notre Dame’s offensive approach as collaborative, which means Guidugli was near the center of it. While Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator hire is expected to come from outside the program, that was the prevailing expectation when Rees departed as well.
Former Duke offensive coordinator Kevin Johns
Johns is to this candidates list what Warren Ruggiero was to last year’s. Does it make sense to hire the coordinator most familiar with your big transfer investment at quarterback? Probably not. Yet there was no doubt Sam Hartman’s capabilities were diminished last season while playing for an offensive coordinator he didn’t choose. If Notre Dame wants Riley Leonard to hit the ground running, his former coordinator/position coach may help. Still, Leonard’s development as a passer didn’t go according to plan last season. Steve Angeli had more touchdown passes. Johns crossed paths professionally at Indiana with running backs coach Deland McCullough from 2011 to ’16. Johns isn’t in-house, but it might feel that way to Leonard.
(Photo: Petre Thomas / USA Today)
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