Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1210272
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2020 19 about publicly as potential candi- dates for the coordinator role, the familiarity with Rees and Taylor won out. With proven veterans such as Moorhead and Monken, who have also been head coaches, autonomy to run the operation without major collaboration often can be a sticking point. Thus, the chemistry developed between Rees and Taylor the past year was deemed the more practical choice for the present. But will it be for the long run? Over the past two years under de- fensive coordinator Clark Lea — a first-time coordinator himself in 2018 — the defense has evolved into one of the best in the land. However, in the six defeats since 2017, the Irish averaged 13.5 points, never tallying more than 20. What is achieved offensively with huge numbers against Western Mich- igan, Navy, Wake Forest or even a 2-10 Arkansas squad to open next season is of little consequence. Notre Dame has reached a point under Kelly where the only measurement now is whether it consistently can take the next step into tier-one status, especially on offense. If Rees and Co. thrive and help Notre Dame reach that tier-one sta- tus, the decision by Kelly will be her- alded for its foresight. If not, the cacophony of criticism for hiring a coordinator with limited experience will be endless. ✦ Taylor was promoted to run game coordinator while continuing to coach the running backs. He will work in collaboration with Rees to help drive the Irish offense forward. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER TODD LYGHT MOVES TO CALIFORNIA On Jan. 2, head coach Brian Kelly announced that cornerbacks coach Todd Lyght would not return for the 2020 season while moving his family to California, where his son Logan plays for longtime superpower Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. This change has been rumored since last spring and something the staff saw coming. Lyght had been coaching the Fighting Irish corners since 2015, highlighted by 2018 con- sensus All-American and Thorpe Award finalist Julian Love and third-round 2016 NFL Draft pick KeiVarae Russell. "I'd like to thank Todd for his years of service to his alma mater," Kelly said in a statement of the former Notre Dame national champion, two-time consensus All-American, first-round pick, Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl cham- pion. "He has been a valuable part of our staff and his impact as both a player and coach here at Notre Dame will be lasting. "As he leaves the university to pursue future endeavors, I'm grateful for everything Todd contributed, and we wish him, [wife] Stefanie and their family nothing but the best." Among the candidates who have been men- tioned to fill the vacancy are former 2017 Notre Dame defensive analyst Christian Parker (Green Bay Packers) and current Cincinnati Bearcats cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens — who starred for Kelly at Cincinnati and set the school career record for interceptions (14, three for touchdowns) and interception yard- age (296), while also recording 234 tackles. A dark horse who also has been mentioned is Robert Steeples, the head coach at De Smet Jesuit in St. Louis whose prized five-star wideout Jordan Johnson signed with Notre Dame in December. Safeties coach Terry Joseph also serves as the defensive pass game coordinator. — Lou Somogyi Two New Hires Forthcoming As Blue & Gold Illustrated went to press Feb. 10, the Notre Dame coaching staff was in the process of hiring new assistants to mentor the tight ends and cornerbacks. Longtime college and NFL assistant John McNulty was expected to become the new tight ends coach, the position group that 2017-19 offensive coordinator Chip Long had handled. McNulty also has vast experience working with quarterbacks and receivers that is expected to bolster the overall offense. A native of Scranton, Pa., and a walk-on safety from 1988-90 at Penn State, McNulty's coaching career began as a graduate assistant in 1991 at the University of Michigan. After a three-year stint at UConn (1995-97) coaching receivers and special teams under head coach Skip Holtz, McNulty moved to the NFL, where he worked for future and past Super Bowl winners such as Tommy Coughlin at Jacksonville (1998-2002) and Bill Parcells at Dallas (2003). He especially prospered at Rutgers from 2004-08 under head coach Greg Schiano, who he met while at Penn State. With McNulty coaching the quarterbacks and receivers, Rutgers rose to prominence with an 11-2 record and No. 12 finish in 2006. As the offensive coordinator in 2007, McNulty's Scarlet Knights became the first program in Football Bowl Subdivision history to have a 3,000-yard passer in Mike Teel, a 2,000-yard rusher in Ray Rice, and two 1,000-yard wide receivers in Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood. That team averaged 32.8 points per game. McNulty returned to the NFL for stints at Arizona (2009-12), Tampa Bay (2013, also under Schiano), Tennessee (2014-15) and then the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers in 2016-17 — his lone experience coaching the tight ends. There he coached future Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Antonio Gates (116 career touchdowns, the most ever by a tight end) and Hunter Henry, who is becoming one of the rising young tight ends in the game. In 2018, the moribund Rutgers program turned to McNulty again to coordinate the offense and coach the quarterbacks, but this stint did not match the first while undergoing a massive rebuild in the Big Ten. After a 1-11 mark in 2018 and a 1-4 start in 2019, head coach Chris Ash and McNulty were both fired, leading McNulty to move on to alma mater Penn State for the balance of the 2019 season as an analyst. The Nittany Lions finished 11-2 and No. 9 in the Associated Press poll. — Lou Somogyi After coaching the Irish cornerbacks since 2015, former Notre Dame national champion and two-time consensus All-American Lyght made a family decision to leave his alma mater and move to California. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER