Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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the FBS, finished 0-12 and ranked dead last in passing efficiency de- fense. The school's administration cleaned house late in the season, but Booker landed at Notre Dame thanks to his connection with recently de- parted Irish offensive coordinator Charley Molnar. who ran the offense at Kent State during Booker's first two years as a player. Booker learned the ins and outs of the Irish passing attack under Molnar and receivers coach Tony Alford. He is expected to take over the wideouts job in the spring when Alford shifts back to running backs/slot receivers. David Elson, the head coach at Coaching Staff Breakdown a more sturdy defense in his first two seasons in South Bend and will now need to shift his focus to making the same progress on the other side of the ball with a revamped offensive staff. Brian Kelly (Head Coach) Kelly enters his third year at Notre Dame with a new look to his supporting cast. He has developed tion and likely a bigger stake in dictating the defense to complement training the team's linebackers. Diaco's 2011 defense quieted any speculation that existed about his ability to scheme against the triple option while posting two wins against military schools. His new role as assistant head coach is another sign that Kelly might be shifting his focus to the offense next season. Bob Diaco (Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator) After proving himself as a tactician and a recruiter in the past 12 months, Diaco earned a promo- Western Kentucky when Booker was hired, and currently the defensive co- ordinator at New Mexico State, said he expects his former colleague to eventually land a head coaching posi- tion. "He's a guy who is not going to leave a stone unturned, both in re- cruiting and as far as in the X's and O's of scouting an opponent or find- ing a way to make a player better," Elson said. In the meantime, Booker will try to back up those glowing reviews while helping to transform an Irish offense under new leadership into the high- octane product for which Kelly is known. He'll have plenty of wisdom and experience to draw from his new colleagues. ✦ hand man on the defense. Cooks, a safety at Iowa, worked with outside linebackers in his first season at Notre Dame and moved to the backfield last year. He will oversee the cornerbacks in 2012, which will be one of the team's most inexperienced groups heading into the season. Kerry Cooks (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs) Cooks also takes a big leap for the staff, moving from his post with the cornerbacks to Diaco's right- will have even more talent to work with this year when he tries to build an elite unit for Notre Dame. After a disappointing season returning punts, and a few other hiccups in the kicking game, special teams also will be a focus for Elston going forward. Mike Elston (Defensive Line/Special Teams Coordinator) Elston did a laudable job of getting his talented group of youngsters ready for the field in 2011. He staff. He is one of two new coaches that Kelly plucked from outside his coaching tree to join the staff starting this spring. He'll be charged with helping the safeties, while Chuck Martin slides to the offensive side of the ball. Bob Elliott (Safeties) The veteran Elliott adds more than three decades of experience to an up-and-coming defensive Dame offense. The jump from defensive backfield coach to offensive coordinator is rendered much less stunning by the fact that Martin orchestrated a nearly identical spread offense for five years as Kelly's successor at Grand Valley State. Martin has told some recruits to expect the Irish to continue to establish a running mentality, including working some two-back sets into the playbook in 2012. Chuck Martin (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks) Martin steps in to replace Charley Molnar in coaching the quarterbacks and running the Notre has spent most of his career as a coach and a player. He fills a gap left by former running backs coach Tim Hinton. As part of an evolving offensive scheme, Alford will also coach the slot receivers. Kelly hopes that the two positions will become interchangeable, with individual players suited to play in either spot. Tony Alford (Running Backs/Slot Receivers) After two years away from the backfield, Alford returns to the spot where he will get one more year to help shape Tyler Eifert into an NFL prospect. He also will need to bring along the rest of his inexperienced unit to figure out how to offset Eifert's absence when he leaves. Mike Denbrock (Tight Ends) Denbrock is the lone constant on the offensive side of the ball this season. He under Charley Molnar. Most of his training is on the defensive side of the ball, but he will work alongside Alford to get the most out of a young group of receiv- ers. Booker's youth and confidence are also expected to be big assets on the recruiting trail. Scott Booker (Wide Receivers) Booker graduates from intern to full-time coach this season after two years Scott Booker worked as a 2011 offensive intern who aided receivers coach Tony Alford, and he was promoted to the full-time 10-man staff this January. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS www.BLUEANDGOLD.com 25. Hiestand has spent 29 years working in the trenches on both the college and professional level. Hiestand's hard-nosed approach to coaching has produced a long line of NFL talent. He takes over Ed Warinner's role in orchestrating the run game as well. Harry Hiestand (Offensive Line/Running Game Coordinator) The final piece to Notre Dame's coaching puzzle snapped into place on Jan. — Dan Murphy MARCH 2012 61