Blue and Gold Illustrated

March 2018

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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82 MARCH 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Two of Quinn's most distinguished pupils include former Cincinnati center Jason Kelce of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and for- mer Central Michigan tackle and San Francisco 49ers standout left tackle Joe Staley. Kelce was selected to the 2014 and 2016 NFL Pro Bowls and twice has been named All-Pro (2013 and 2017). Staley has been the starting left tackle for the San Francisco 49ers the past 11 years and been selected to six NFL Pro Bowls (2011-15 and 2017) and three times has been named All-Pro (2011-13). Hiring "outsiders" such as Elko and Long last season was perceived as ben- eficial, but this time Kelly is attempting to combine continuity without becom- ing stale. SAFETY NET Notre Dame's third and final new hire on the 10-man assistant coach- ing staff for 2018 was Joseph, who will mentor the safeties. "Having the chance to coach at Notre Dame is a once in a lifetime op- portunity," Joseph said. "There are a lot of great programs in the nation, but there is truly only one Notre Dame." Like Lea, Joseph has a collegiate background that first focused on base- ball. A 1996 graduate of Northwestern State — located in Natchitoches, La. — where he was a two-time CoSIDA Aca- demic All-American in baseball, Joseph began his coaching career in the high school ranks of his home state, first at Archbishop Shaw (1999-2002) and then Destrehan High School (2003-05). He drew the attention of the flag- ship program in the state, LSU, and was hired by head coach Les Miles as a defensive graduate assistant working under coordinator Bo Pelini. The Ti- gers that season crushed Notre Dame 41-14 in the Sugar Bowl. From there, Joseph was hired by Louisiana Tech head coach Derek Dooley as the recruiting coordinator and secondary coach, and his efforts on the recruiting trail earned him rec- ognition from Rivals as one of the top five recruiters in a non-BCS conference. When Dooley was hired in 2010 to succeed Lane Kiffin at Tennessee, he brought Joseph with him as defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator. Afterwards, Joseph was reunited with Pelini at Nebraska in 2012-13 as the secondary coach, a unit that en- joyed much success. Led by two-time first-team All-Big Ten pick Ciante Evans, the 2012 Corn- huskers paced the Football Bowl Sub- division in pass defense and ranked No. 2 in pass efficiency defense. The following season, they allowed the fewest completions (210) in the Big Ten. Joseph next joined head coach Kevin Sumlin's staff at Texas A&M (2014-16) as defensive backs coach before his most recent one-year stint at North Carolina (2017). Among his pupils with the Aggies were former running back Brandon Williams, who became a third-round NFL pick, and 2016 All-SEC strong safety Justin Evans, a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award. In 2015, Texas A&M finished No. 4 nationally in pass- ing yards allowed per game and No. 18 in pass efficiency defense. Because Elko coached the safeties, that group also needed an instructor to complement third-year cornerbacks coach Todd Lyght in the secondary. "Terry has an excellent reputation as a quality teacher and coach, as well as a committed recruiter," Kelly said. "He has developed all-conference cali- ber players at each of his earlier stops, including Power Five programs North Carolina, Texas A&M, Nebraska and Tennessee. … I'm probably more ex- cited to see our players benefit from his leadership skills away from foot- ball." ✦ Mike Elston Named Associate Head Coach In nine seasons at Notre Dame, head coach Brian Kelly has made a couple of dozen new hires on his staff, but one constant has remained. Current defensive line coach Mike Elston is the lone holdover from Kelly's original staff assembled in December 2009. Since 1986, Elston's nine-year run at the school ties him with 1988-96 offensive line coach Joe Moore for the longest stint as a Fighting Irish on-field assistant. During that period, Elston at times has also coached linebackers and special teams, served as recruiting coordinator and helped coordinate the defense the last eight games of 2016, eventually gaining the title of assistant head coach in 2017. This year the title has elevated to associate head coach, which makes him next in line for duties should Kelly be absent. This in- cludes managing the football program, participating in press con- ferences, making public appearances (including alumni and donor functions) and attending departmental and university meetings. "His commitment and passion for this program and university are second to none," Kelly said of Elston in a released statement by the school. "In many ways, Mike can best be described as the backbone of our coaching staff. … He's, without a doubt, a future head coach, and we're very, very fortunate to have him on our staff." During a tumultuous makeover of the staff in 2016, Elston was given much credit for holding together a 21- man recruiting class that ranked among the top 15 nationally. Taking over the defensive line again last year, he directed a unit that saw marked improvement, including going from two sacks in 2016 to 16.5 in 2017. "I love the University of Notre Dame," Elston said in the same release. "My family and I are blessed to be a part of this university. I want to thank [director of athletics] Jack Swarbrick and Brian Kelly for this opportu- nity that continues my growth as a coach and offers a greater leadership role in the program." In other staff news, David Ballou, the co-director of football strength and conditioning under Matt Balis at Notre Dame in 2017, left this winter to become director of athletic performance at his alma mater, Indiana University, where he graduated in 2002 after playing three seasons at fullback. Hired as Ballou's replacement was Robert Stiner, who worked for Balis at Mississippi State in 2012-13. His most recent position was at the University of Cincinnati, where Stiner was an assistant director of football sports performance and also served as the nutrition liaison for the student-athletes. — Lou Somogyi Joseph has coached defensive backs at the Power Five level for the last eight years. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN Elston is the lone remaining coach from Kelly's first staff at Notre Dame for the 2010 season. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS

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