Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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he had at an executive level," Diaco said. It was easy to see why Diaco is at his best in front of players during his exuberant, 45-minute press conference after accepting the Huskies job. In that stretch, he referenced Pavlov's Dog, Knute Rockne, St. Augustine (spoken in Latin, no less) and Garth Brooks. He broke down New England population think that was the kind of guy he is," junior linebacker Jarrett Grace said. "He just talked about the progress we made, the men we were and the men we're going to keep becoming. That's not going to change no matter who is there in front of us. … We really respected that." The next man who will stand in front of them hasn't been selected yet. Co-de- statistics. He explained the meaning of filling up energy buckets and avoiding life-sucking energy vampires, and all with an excitement that made it feel genuine. The next day he returned to South Bend to pack up his office belongings and say goodbye to the Irish players, some of whom had at least initially felt a little cheated that they learned about his leaving on the news. "It provided some closure, and I fensive coordinator Kerry Cooks took over Diaco's responsibilities during bowl practice in December. Cooks is as likely a candidate as any to eventually become the full-time replacement. That would still leave Kelly with a void to fill at the important linebacker coach position — a group that will have three new starters along with a true sophomore on the field next season. Kelly said he doesn't expect to fill that opening, or the hole left when of-