Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 FEBRUARY 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Chansi Stuckey Is Rewriting The Narrative By Tyler Horka Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman has many taglines. One of his fa- vorites: Notre Dame is always looking to enhance its roster. One assistant stood above the rest in that regard in 2022: wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey. Notre Dame will welcome five new wide receivers to the program this year. A position group that was viewed as weak in numbers and short on talent could transform into a strength seemingly overnight. Stuckey is a major reason for that. Deemed Blue & Gold Illustrated's assistant coach re- cruiter of the year in December, Stuckey crafted a class of 2023 haul that includes three of the top 30 wide re- ceivers in the country according to the On3 Consensus rankings. Freeman talked highly of two of them, Austin (Texas) Westlake's Jaden Greathouse and Folsom (Calif.) High's Rico Flores Jr., during his early signing period press conference. He said he could see that duo coming in and competing for playing time right away. Virginia Tech transfer Kaleb Smith is assuredly going to do so as well. He had 37 catches for 674 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2022. Stuckey jumped on the recruitment of Smith as soon as he hit the transfer portal. It took just over two weeks to get Smith to commit to Notre Dame. Recruiting isn't everything. On-field development matters just as much. The combination of those facets makes or breaks an assistant coach, and Stuckey has shown in one year he can be a superstar in both areas. Notre Dame is lucky to have him for however long the program can retain his services. Harry Hiestand Is The Clear Choice By Todd D. Burlage The return of Harry Hiestand to Notre Dame for a second stint didn't ex- actly get off to the hot start most Irish faithful were expecting from one of the best offensive line coaches in the business. Through three games and a 1-2 start, the Fighting Irish averaged only 117.7 rushing yards and gave up 7 sacks, with both numbers ranking among the worst in the nation. Whether it was the improving health of graduate student left guard Jarrett Patterson, a greater comfort level for sophomore right tackle Blake Fisher or simply a growing familiarity with Hiestand, this unit went from disappointing to dominant during the regular season. After rushing for 264 yards versus South Carolina in the Gator Bowl, Notre Dame ranked 35th nationally with 189.0 rushing yards per game and 41st in sacks allowed at 1.62 allowed per game. Notre Dame allowed only 14 total sacks over its final 10 games. On the ground, the Irish rushed for at least 220 yards in five of its last seven and seven of its last 10 games. As a result, Pro Football Focus graded Notre Dame as the fifth-best run-blocking team in the country as of Jan. 1. Sophomore left tackle Joe Alt headlines Hiestand's group. Alt's 90.8 run- blocking grade was tops among all FBS tackles. The 2022 season didn't necessarily stay on script, especially early on. But if there's one unit and one Irish assistant coach that held up better than all of the others, it's the Notre Dame offensive line and its caretaker, Hiestand. Point ✦ Counterpoint: BESIDES BRIAN MASON, WHO WAS NOTRE DAME'S MOST IMPORTANT ASSISTANT COACH IN 2022? Yulander Wells Jr. believes that the familiarity and appreciation he gained for Notre Dame from growing up in nearby Chicago, and his work at Harvard — a similarly tradition-rich and elite academic institution — will serve him well in his new role as Notre Dame's deputy athletics direc- tor in charge of business strategy. Hired here after serving in a similar position at Harvard since May 2021, the 42-year-old Wells was introduced in his new position by Notre Dame Nov. 30. Yulander, a graduate of St. Rita High School in Chicago, went on to earn his bachelor's and mas- ter's degrees from North Central College (NCC) in Naperville, Ill. He ran track and became a three- year basketball captain and an all-conference player while at NCC. After graduating from North Central in 2005, Yulander climbed the career ladder in private industry and more recently, as an athletics ad- ministrator at various stops before relocating to Notre Dame. Blue & Gold Illustrated caught up with Wells to discuss his opportunities, his strategies, and the challenges his new job provides. BGI: There are many layers to your position; what is at the core of your mission? Wells: "Operating an excellent business and es- tablishing financial sustainability to provide our stu- dent-athletes with an outstanding intellectual and competitive experience. One of the most important things we want to make sure we're doing is figuring out creative ways to consistently attract students, faculty, staff and fans throughout our venues." BGI: What other areas will be important for you and your department to pay close attention to? Wells: "Trying to find ways that we can be ahead of the curve because the intercollegiate athletics landscape is constantly changing. We want to be the institution that is setting the tone of what the intercollegiate landscape should look like." BGI: How would you explain your new role? Wells: "I believe my role is to be a conduit and a great partner that represents athletics within the university campus framework. We are one of many pieces that make up this large entity. But we're a very important piece that brings everyone around the world who is connected to Notre Dame to show their passion and pride for this great place." BGI: How will you identify and implement new revenue opportunities while remaining respectful to Notre Dame's old-school tradi- tions? Wells: "We have to be mindful of the cur- rent traditions and figure out ways that we can blend and create new ones. We have a diverse group of people, and they all have different things that are sacred to them, and we need to be respectful of those different dynamics." BGI: You're still settling into your job but what has stood out during the acclimation? Wells: "The name of the institution is Notre Dame. But the people that are here — and be- cause of the people that have come through here — make it great. I'm excited about our athletics de- partment's ability to be a community-building tool." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … NOTRE DAME DEPUTY ATHLETICS DIRECTOR IN CHARGE OF BUSINESS STRATEGY YULANDER WELLS JR. Wells, a native of Chicago, said he intends to help Notre Dame be an "institution that is setting the tone of what the intercollegiate landscape should look like." PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS HIESTAND STUCKEY