Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2018 69 FOOTBALL RECRUITING National Signing Day Feb. 7 not only introduced new players, but it was the first meeting that newly promoted Notre Dame staff members Clark Lea (defensive coordinator) and Jeff Quinn (offensive line) had with the media. The two promotions to replace defensive coordinator Mike Elko and of- fensive line coach Harry Hiestand centered on not radically going away from the upgrade in 2017 that saw the Irish finish 10-3 (with four wins over teams that finished in the Associated Press top 25) and No. 11 nationally. In both cases, head coach Brian Kelly said the transition should be seam- less. According to Kelly, Quinn — whom he worked with from 1989-2009 and then hired as an offensive analyst in 2015 — was chosen among four candi- dates in great part because of the familiarity involved in 2017. Kelly also said fifth-year senior starting linemen Sam Mustipher and Alex Bars were involved on the committee that interviewed the candidates. "It's one thing to have skills, but you have to have skills and you've got to fit the culture here at Notre Dame," Kelly said. "And when we went through all those candidates, Jeff Quinn was the easy selection for us — and that means all of us. This wasn't a singular decision." When Elko left this January to take the same post at Texas A&M, there was some thought he might take Lea with him, just as he brought Lea from Wake Forest. However, Lea was hungry to become a coordinator himself, not just a follower. He wasn't going to leave for just any job, though. "In the back of my mind before Mike Elko left, I knew I would have to leave to assume responsibility elsewhere [as a coordinator]," Lea admitted. "At Notre Dame, it allows you to be selective. "I didn't want to leave because of the affinity I have for this place. When Mike left, I had my sights on this." Lea will bring his own personality to the unit but said there will be no drastic alterations from a scheme perspective. "The goal is to proceed as if nothing changed," Lea said. "We will spend the next month digging through last year's film. Defense evolves naturally, and from a systematic standpoint we will continue to build on this defense." While Kelly and Quinn have had a longstanding relationship on the same staffs, the real issue is how would Quinn and second-year offensive coordinator Chip Long mesh. Quinn said his role as the analyst on offense last year allowed him to broaden his own perspective on strategy and scenarios. "All I knew was one system, but I like how Chip calls the offense — run the ball, relentless, controlling the line of scrimmage," Quinn said. "I could tell very shortly we were on same page and would work well together in lock step as we move forward." "The best thing is he was our right-hand man at tight end and knows how we want to run everything," Long said of Quinn. "It's going to be an easy transition. … We've tried to be mainly a 12 personnel team [two tight ends]. "It can look different every game, but we want to be physical on offense and establish the run." — Lou Somogyi Linebackers coach Clark Lea was promoted to defensive coordinator when Mike Elko left for the same position at Texas A&M. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL Fitting Cultures & Schemes