Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1316443
8 DEC. 19, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Yes, Strike While The Iron Is Hot By Todd D. Burlage Many Notre Dame football faithful fell into full panic in January 2018 when Irish defensive coordinator Mike Elko took a money grab and left Notre Dame after just one season for Texas A&M. Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly then promoted linebackers coach Clark Lea as his new DC, but nerves were still not quelled because Lea had never been a coordinator. During his three seasons on the job, Lea — a strong candidate to win the 2020 Broyles Award as the top as- sistant coach in the country — has turned Notre Dame's defense into the program's best since at least 2012. But with success comes attention, and with attention comes attraction, and with attraction comes job offers. Within minutes of Vanderbilt firing head coach Derek Mason — after seven seasons and a 27-55 record — on Nov. 29, Lea was mentioned as a strong candidate to replace him. A Nashville native and a former walk-on fullback at Vanderbilt, the 38-year-old Lea has a familiarity and an affinity for his city and alma mater. In the same way In- diana University head coach Tom Allen is turning around a program that he grew up less than 100 miles from, Lea could also become a hometown hero at his school. Skeptics of Lea's move from Notre Dame to Vanderbilt will insist that the challenge is too great to turn around a program that hasn't had a winning season since 2013. But if the job is offered, Vanderbilt provides Lea an opportunity too great to pass up. No, Better Opportunities Await By Lou Somogyi If Vanderbilt is Lea's lifelong dream, far be it for anyone to tell him what direction to take. Like a Pat Fitzgerald, who was first an All-American at Northwestern before becoming the head coach at his alma mater in 2006, and has thrived at a football pro- gram with minimal tradition and high academics since then, Lea might have the chops to do the impossible: win consistently at Vanderbilt, which has finished above .500 four times in the last 45 years. Or, behind Door No. 2 … he can remain with what has developed into a consistent College Football Playoff aspirant while pulling down a cool seven figures (if Brian VanGorder was reportedly making more than a million four years ago, one would think that would be the case with Lea as well). With the way this program has prospered the past four years, and with Lea playing a significant role, he, Tommy Rees or Mike Elston could even be groomed to succeed Brian Kelly, much like Niele Ivey was to replace Muffet McGraw. It wasn't too long ago that Bob Diaco also had a suc- cessful four-year defensive coordinator tenure at Notre Dame (2010-13). He was eager to become a head coach but walked into an awful situation at Connecticut, and a short time later was ousted (he is now the defensive coordinator at Purdue). If one's heart is ready to move on, then it is best to do so. It just seems that Lea's ceiling is higher than walking into a position that has been mainly a graveyard for head coaches. Point ✦ Counterpoint: SHOULD CLARK LEA BE THE NEXT VANDERBILT HEAD COACH, IF OFFERED? From a 4-8 campaign in 2016 when he arrived as a true freshman, to four years later starting at defensive end and chasing a 2020 College Football Playoff berth as a fifth-year senior, Ad- etokunbo Ogundeji (pronounced OH-gun-day- gee) has seen it all at Notre Dame. And he's ap- preciated every moment of his ascent. This season, Ogundeji, — a 6-5, 268-pound, pass-rushing menace — has added his name to a growing list of Irish linemen already on or prep- ping to join an NFL roster. Through nine games this season, he led Notre Dame with 5.5 sacks and five quarterback hurries. BGI: You spent four years playing behind and learning from future NFL players. What did it feel like to know this year was your season? Ogundeji: "It's been a crazy experience, obvi- ously, with COVID and all of that. But I think it's been so far so great. I'm blessed to be even play- ing right now with everything going on, just to be playing right now is a blessing. "It's been an amazing time to be around the young guys and also be around some of the vet- erans out here, all the fifth-years. It's just been a great time and I appreciate every moment that we have." BGI: What legacy do you want to leave at Notre Dame? Ogundeji: "Our goal has always been the same, and that is graduating seniors and winning a national cham- pionship. That's the focal point and that's where it starts. "And in order to get that, it takes the proper steps and [then] making sure that you go through that process and you understand that you might not be able to play the first year or the second year. But you have to continue to go through that process in order to graduate and win a national championship." BGI: What is the difference between the 2018 and 2020 teams? Ogundeji: "There are some schemes that we did differently in that 2018 season. But for the most part, I feel like we kind of have the same skill set, we kind of have same guys, we just un- derstand it better. "When you've got a lot of guys that have been in the program for four, five years — who under- stand the playbook — you can get a better grasp of what's going on." BGI: What was the greatest chal- lenge becoming a starter at defen- sive end this season? Ogundeji: "I realized in practice I had to go twice as hard as I usually do because I am going to be in the game twice as much. So for me, I had that attitude in practice that I had to keep going. "Even in individual drills, I had to continue to work hard and push my- self so when it's game time, I don't have to worry about that." BGI: You've been part of a program that won only four games your freshman season in 2016 and has now won at least 10 games four years in a row. Can you tell us about that evolution? Ogundeji: "My first year it was a struggle, but we've just continued to get better as a team. And for myself, it has continued to get better. I think that is what it comes down to in life — growth throughout the whole time. "It was a great time for me and I'm just happy to be around the great people — and the people I'm going to be with for life." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … FIFTH-YEAR SENIOR DEFENSIVE END ADETOKUNBO OGUNDEJI OGUNDEJI Lea, who has served as the Irish's defen- sive coordinator since 2018, already has been mentioned as a strong candidate for the newly open head coaching job at his alma mater, Vanderbilt. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER