Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JAN. 1, 2021 17 "Vanderbilt is a special place with a competitive drive that I believe can translate into winning." Lea will remain at Notre Dame through the College Football Playoff before departing to Nashville. A FAST RISE Lea arrived at Notre Dame in Janu- ary 2017 following a 4-8 season that resulted in a significant purge of per- sonnel in the infrastructure. He was brought along from Wake Forest by newly hired defensive co- ordinator Mike Elko to mentor the linebackers, and in their first season the Irish made vast improvements to finish 10-3 and No. 11 in the country. Elko and Lea had also coached to- gether at Bowling Green in 2012. After just one season at Notre Dame, Elko departed for a more lu- crative offer at Texas A&M when Jimbo Fisher was hired as head coach. Not wanting to disrupt the continuity and success achieved in the 2017 turnaround, Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly somewhat surprisingly elevated Lea to the coor- dinator role, a leadership capacity he had never previously held. It didn't take long for Lea to dem- onstrate he had the chops to lead, mentor and improve, debuting in 2018 with a win over No. 14 Michi- gan in which only 10 points were surrendered to a veteran offense. Notre Dame finished the regular season 12-0 and advanced to the Col- lege Football Playoff while joining Fresno State as the only two teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision to not allow more than 30 points in a game. Last year in the Fremeau Efficiency Index, Lea's troops improved from No. 16 in 2018 to No. 5 during an 11-2 campaign, ranking fifth nationally in pass efficiency defense and fourth in turnovers forced with 28. From 2014-16, prior to Lea's arrival, the Irish were 65th, 58th and 54th in the FEI. This year while reaching the CFP for the second time in three sea- sons, Notre Dame joined Alabama, Clemson, Iowa and Wisconsin as the only five teams to allow less than 20 points per game each of the past three years (pending the postseason). Masterful at in-game adjustments on the fly, Lea's ascent in the ranks has been rapid, and he even was a finalist for the Boston College head coaching job last season. Kelly made it clear that other than a press conference introduction at Vanderbilt Dec. 20, Lea would com- plete his job at Notre Dame right through, hopefully, the national title game on Jan. 11. "Assistant coaches that go for head coaching positions [when we] are in postseason play, they are going to be committed to Notre Dame and fin- ishing off at Notre Dame, or they're not part of that process," Kelly said. "He will be here throughout the run that we have, including the national championship." BEYOND X'S AND O'S Although Lea merited his praise as a proven tactician, perhaps even more important was the way he im- bued an esprit de corps that earned the players' trust and devotion while maximizing their skills and desire to perform for him. Often described as "cerebral," and even "professorial," he balanced ex- ceptional communication and caring with frankness and firmness. "He's kind of like your dad away from home, honestly," sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton said. "He's there for you emotionally like no other coach I've ever been around. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, whatever time, in the build- ing, at home, he's always available for you. His door is always open for you to come in and express any an- ger, any happiness, anything. "I feel like as a player that really helps me be comfortable in the build- ing and around the coaches. He's great at creating an environment and a culture where everybody cares about each other, and I think he's go- ing to do really well at Vanderbilt." Fifth-year senior defensive end Daelin Hayes noted that everyone on both defense and offense shared in the joy of Lea's advancement — just as he would be with theirs, be it making it in the NFL or in whatever profession they choose. "The investment we have in our brotherhood, that comes from our coaches," Hayes said. "He's put so much time and effort, he's given so much to this. … "You have to know that they care, that they're willing to go the extra mile for you. That's something that Coach Lea has done for us day in and day out, whether it be having one-on-one meetings, whether it be him sprinting in our pursuit drills with us, just making it fun, making it a real family atmosphere for our defense. "It really gives guys an opportu- nity to really buy in and trust what the coach is saying and trust that he cares about you off the field. Him bringing that culture to Vanderbilt will only strengthen that program." "You can have tough conversa- tions for sure, but he's not going to just scream and yell at you where you just really stop listening at that point," current senior linebacker Drew White summarized last year. In his own quiet way, Lea's impact was always loud and clear. ✦ "He's great at creating an environment and a culture where everybody cares about each other, and I think he's going to do really well at Vanderbilt." SOPHOMORE SAFETY KYLE HAMILTON ON LEA It's All Academic For years, or decades, elite, private schools such as Stanford in the Pac-12, Northwestern in the Big Ten, Duke in the ACC and Vanderbilt in the SEC have usually struggled in football. Their standards and limited (if any) football tradition often have made them cellar dwell- ers and a coaching graveyard. Yet in recent years, three of the four hired long-term answers who have made those pri- vate schools with a long history of football misery much more competitive. • Stanford graduate David Shaw completed his 10th season at his alma mater with an impressive 90-36 career record, although the Cardinal has taken a few steps back in recent years. • Northwestern graduate Pat Fitzgerald has been the head coach for the Wildcats since 2006 and is 105-81. Highly impressive at a school where even Notre Dame's legendary Ara Parseghian was 36-35-1 from 1956-63. • And although David Cutcliffe is not a grad- uate of Duke, he has made the Blue Devils relatively competitive since his 2008 hiring, fashioning a 74-88 ledger in his 13 years at a place that was 22-125 (.150) in the previous 13 seasons. If Vanderbilt grad Clark Lea can have similar lasting power at his alma mater, mission ac- complished. — Lou Somogyi