Kelly Green and Gold

With the first press conference featuring all of Brian Kelly’s staff in the books, the coaches are on a full court press recruiting. Much has been written about visits to NJ to see Bennett Jackson, visits to Florida to see Irish commit Gio Bernard and then stopping in to say hello to 5 star recruit Christian Jones. Jones would be a huge addition lining up next to Manti Te’o. The entire coaching staff as it seems were in Virginia to court J. R. Ferguson including Kelly, Diaco, Cooks, and Hinton. The Ferguson’s were impressed with the fact that ND brought that many coaches but it was Kelly’s way of showing how important this kid is. Kelly and the entire defensive coaching staff want J. R. on the team.

Today the coaching staff is off to the West Coast to see standout safety prospect Dietrich Riley. Riley would be a huge pickup over the likes of USC and basically the entire SEC, but he could break the 2 deep immediately and could compete for playing time right away. Next on the list is seeing Anthony Barr, the West’s most talented athlete. From everything we have heard, this kid could pretty much play any position on the field. Kelly has expressed interest in him as a receiver but Barr says his heart is at running back. Kelly could opt to let him play running back if Gio Bernard wavers on his commit to the Irish as he is set to visit North Carolina this week. At this point, I would let the kid choose his own position, maybe even create a new position if that’s what he wants to do. Being a legacy at ND helps but rumor has it that his lady-friend is transferring to UCLA. Chicks > Legacy

With the coaches out recruiting like they should be, they are racking up sky miles zigzagging the country. It seems that besides meeting the current class of commits, the coaching staff is looking to add depth to the defensive side of the ball. We all know the struggles the Irish defense faced last year and can see why the coaches are high on getting some stud defensive recruits into the fold. I’ve listened to the Bob Diaco press conference a couple times now and a few things stood out to me.

Diaco, when asked if there was a pressure on him to improve the defense said, “I don’t think so, for me. Everybody is different and I hope this doesn’t come across as coach speak because you get that so much, but really, genuinely there are some core principles to playing great defense; effort and hustle, tackling and then maintaining the top of the defense, so that won’t change.” No need to go and re-read the quote. He said exactly what you think he said. No pressure on him to improve the defense.

For a defense that was horrible last season (Stats can be found here at Clashmore Mike) that’s a brash statement to make. I’m pretty sure the number one priority from the athletic department to the grounds crew should be improving the teams defense. How many shoot-outs did we come up short on last year. How many points did Michigan, Washington, Michigan State, and Stanford score on this team? Why was the previous coach fired and none of the defensive staff retained? Oh yeah, because the defense was horrible, that’s why.

OK OK, maybe I am taking this to far. Lets look at the quote a little more. Diaco is saying that there doesn’t need to be pressure on him to improve the defense. He believes in fundamentals, tackling, pursuit and assignments. He is saying his job is to coach young men on what they are supposed to be doing first and foremost and not worrying about other things. OK, I can accept that. It seemed that too many times last year players were out of position, confused by assignments, and flat out missed tackles. So having a coach place and emphasis on these basic fundamentals is needed and that is what Diaco is saying.

We all remember this play from last year, it still haunts my dreams...

Diaco says his defensive playing style has, “Passion, great passion. Great great energy. Hustle and flying around with gas in their tank from the strength and condition coach.” With the new training table in effect and Paul Longos beach, there should be no reason for the players to get tired. Toby Gerhart destroyed the Irish single handily as the game moved along. It seemed the players were tired and out of shape in the last game of the season. This is something that Diaco needs to correct if he wants to succeed.

Diaco’s defensive philosophy when it comes to the 3-4, “3-4 alignment which will base out of, is a balanced defense. So you are not having to lecture to the sam or the will, but the outside linebacker. Not the mike or the jack, but the inside linebackers. You have inside and outside. The safeties are lectured to as a group, the corners are lectured to as a group along with the ends as a group. There is not 11 players, there are 4 or 5 positions. This affords you flexibility with regards to the time spent in preparation and be more focused on the fundamentals.” With that being said, he is again placing an emphasis on what he feels is the most import thing to defensive success which is knowing your assignment and tackling. It seems that Diaco will take the same approach as Molnar will with the offense. Here is the system, now plug the players in and go. Keep them fresh and ready to play rather that worrying about the personnel. Hell, this guy helped convert Demetrius Jones into a linebacker, lets see what he can do with Brian and Harrison Smith.

Diaco and CO seems to be out recruiting the type of guys that fit their style. It would be a great get if Ferguson, Barr, Jones or Henderson pick the Irish before signing day but we shouldn’t expect it. Plan for the worst and be optimistic. Just like Te’o did last year, he surprised ND after being pelted with snowballs against Syracuse. The coaching staff plans on converting their current guys into what they need for their system and that excites me. All we have to go on is excitement. We can all still be on the fence about this staff and I think we should. Lets not rush to judgment either way, good or bad, until we see some football. Don’t worry, we only have to wait 227 days.

Brian Kelly officially gathered his staff on campus yesterday for introductions to the media. It’s great to see this part of the coaching search is over. Besides the coaches looking like they were part of a GQ magazine shoot, they also took the time to speak with the media and answered questions. Having the staff in place allows coach to get on with the other tasks of the off season, recruiting and getting to know his current players. All the interviews can be found here.

One interview that we were particular interested in here at KGG, was offensive coordinator Charley Molnar. Molnar provided insight into his offense and detailed the difficulties around installing a new scheme at a new school. Molnar first mentioned that one of the most difficult things to learn was the terminology that they use. “What they called oranges here for the last five years, we may call apples. The plays are the same, they just have to translate it.” Learning the offensive schemes and techniques will come later with Molnar as he will not even pass out the playbook until after national signing day on February 3rd.

Molnar talked about his offensive philosophy somewhat vaguely but emphasized a team first attitude. “Our philosophy has been next man in. As coaches we don’t blink an eye, if a guy goes down we don’t stop the game or change what we do offensively. We just keep doing what we do and expect the next man to go in and keep it going.” Having the ability for other players to step up and do their part is what will make Molnar’s offensive unit successful. Just ask Tony Pike and Zach Collaros. Tony Pike went down as the signal caller of Cincinnati this past season and they plugged Collaros in and kept winning. Build a system and run the system. It never changes for the players. Ask Charlie Weis how his system changed when Demetrius Jones was a QB, we all know how that turned out. Keep the system in place and bring in the players that can run your offensive philosophy.

Molnar touched a little on what type of style he wants to install at ND. An up tempo point scoring offensive that never turns off. “We believe in aggressiveness and having an aggressive mentality that you don’t just sit on the ball. We’re looking to score points. Even at the end of the half when the other teams are taking a knee you may see us taking a pass or a run but we’re trying to score. We’ll try to get another score in before the half. In the type of kids that play for us and the kids we recruit we look for those with an aggressive mentality that are temperament and aggressive in their style of play.” This uptempo mentality will be a welcome site on Saturdays in the Bend this fall.

Molnar said of his run game, “We understand the value of a strong run game, and I would be disappointed if we went through the season without a 1,000-yard rusher at the running back position.” With the current stable of running backs that he has at his disposal and a qb coming off a knee injury, look for the run to be the staple of the offense. The spread offense is built around the ability to run the football setting up play action. The ability to get opposing defenses to load the box to stop the run is essential to the success of the spread. With Allen, Hughes, Riddick and talented red shirt freshman burner Cierre Wood back, the Irish should find success running the ball.

Charley Molnar will be the offensive coordinator and QB coach, but Brian Kelly will still call the plays. The ability to convince his current players to buy into his system this spring is paramount for his success. New QB, new faces on the offensive line, and a new system will be tough to overcome, but that’s exactly what Brian Kelly was brought to Notre Dame for.

Brian Kelly has finished his staff at Notre Dame. Today he announced that Ed Warriner would coach the offensive line, Tim Hinton the running backs, and Kerry Cooks the outside linebackers.

Ed Warriner comes from the University of Kansas where he served as the offensive coordinator for the past 3 season. Warriner also coached the QB’s while at KU and coached the offensive line and running game at Illinois before that. Warriner is a veteran of offensive coaching with stops at Air Force, Army, Michigan State and Akron. Warriner was a standout rusher for Division III Mount Union and also received his masters from Akron.

What really stands out with Coach Warriner’s experience is the run game. Yes he led Todd Reesing and the vaunted Jayhawk passing attack. Yes we could talk about every record that his 2007 and 2008 team broke when it comes to the passing game and the Big 12, but Warriner cut his teeth with the run. Coaching running backs and the running games at the service academies showed Warriner the importance of the run. Warriner lead Army and Air Force to 4 rushing titles under his watch. The ability to run the football progressed into exploiting the pass which he did very well while at Kansas.

This expertise with both the running and passing game will make him an excellent coach on the offensive line. Knowing how to teach both techniques is essential for an offensive line coach. His experience should serve him well with the players he has at Notre Dame.

Warriners group could be a bit green next season. With the announcement of Chris Stewart and Dan Wenger returning on the offensive line, it wont be as bad as we all think. Chris Stewart and Trevor Robinson are man beasts that are back from last years starting line. Both played the guard position and both could be there again next year. Dan Wenger should return to his starting spot that he held in the ’08 season at center. That leaves some empty spots at sort of an important position (just ask Sandra Bullock) the tackle. Matt Romine and Taylor Dever were the backups last year and should see plenty of playing time. Robinson or Stewart could switch to tackle and move either of those two inside, or even Wenger could end up on the outside with Braxton Cave or Mike Golic Jr starting at center.

There is talent at offensive line but there could be more. If Warriner hits the ground running and Kiffin does his best to scare off all recruits at USC (Sanctions out the wazoo) then he may be able to land Seantrel Henderson. Henderson might be the greatest recruit since the last greatest recruit ever, Manti Teo. Tipping the Scales at 6’8″, 330+ pounds, Henderson should be offered the starting job that they make movies about, left tackle. Henderson has USC, Ohio State and some Florida schools on his list, and would be a huge addition. He may be a long shot, but we need to keep up the hope. (As I sat in the stands at the Syracuse game in 08, I just knew with every snowball I threw, Teo would be Irish). Keep the offensive line commits in tact for this season and land the biggest fish of them all. Hey, Coach Warriner and I can dream right?

Tim Hinton comes from the University of Cincinnati and replaces Tony Alford as the running backs coach. Hinton served as running backs coach and has also coached linebackers in the past for the Bearcats. He has mentored some 1,000 yard backs at UC and has developed some of their talent. He was also named recruiting coordinator and should be a welcome addition in the recruiting game at ND.

Before UC Hinton was coach of Marion Harding High School. He was named Ohio High School coach of the year in 1995. Before he coached at the high school ranks, Hinton coached wide receivers and defensive line at Ohio University. He was also a graduate assistant at Ohio State prior to that. Hinton attended Wilmington College and also received his masters in leadership from Ohio State.

The running back positions has a stable full of talent. Armando Allen returns for his senior season and looks as primed as ever to break out. Allen showed another level of rushing last year when it seemed that he was finally able to break tackles. To many times in the years prior did it seem that Allen was easily tripped up and brought down behind the line. Backing up Armando Allen is the big man Robert Hughes. Hughes will provide the thunder to Allen’s lightening. Quick for a big man, Hughes was used in rotation with Allen last year. The other back on the scene is Theo Riddick. Man can Riddick fly. Add into the mix red-shirt freshman and resident speedster Cierre Wood and you have a potent group of running backs. Tony Alford ushered Allen into the next level, hopefully Hinton can make him an elite running back. The running backs are stacked at ND but we need to see how they adapt to the spread rushing attack.

Last but not least is Kerry Cooks. Cooks most recent stop was with Bret Bielema’s Badgers at Wisconsin where he coached the secondary. Cooks helped lead the badgers to some gaudy pass defense numbers and has proven to be an excellent defensive potions coach. Before Wisconsin, Cooks held the same position at Minnesota. He also coached the same position at Western Illinois and was a graduate assistant at Kansas State.

Cooks attended the University of Iowa where he was a standout safety. He was a team captain at Iowa and was drafted by the Vikings. He also played for the Packers, Falcons and Jaguars before making his biggest move, to the XFL. He may or may not have tackled Rod “he hate me” Smart during his time there, we are still trying to confirm.

Cooks will be coaching the outside linebackers in the newly installed 3-4 defense. Early indications should have Brian Smith and Manti Teo on the inside, and leaving the 2 likely starting candidates to be Darius Fleming and Kerry Neal. The outside linebacker in the 3-4 is that hybrid defensive end that can put his hand in the ground to take on lineman, but can also get after the passer from the linebacker position. Fleming and Neal seem to fit this perfectly and Neal has experience at playing the outside linebacker in the 3-4 under Corwin Brown.

The other interesting player in this would be Harrison Smith. Not KGG’s favorite player but a athlete none the less. Harrison showed the ability to rush the passer last year from both the safety and linebacker position. With the lack of safety depth on the team, Harrison could be moved back to the Strong or Free Safety position. Regardless of who wins the job at the outside spot, maybe it’s Steve Filer or even Brian Smith, who could be better suited on the outside rushing the passer, Cooks has some talent to work with.

These new hires complete the coaching staff at Notre Dame. We would say he has put together a great staff with a lot of talent. Some more experienced than other, but time will tell how it turns out. Again, to harp on next steps but keeping the current commits and landing some big fish. Between Cooks coaching in Minnesota, Hinton matriculating at Ohio State and Warriner’s experience in coaching top flight offenses, this crew should be able to convince Seantrel Henderson that ND is better than OSU. Anthony Barr and Kyle Prater could complete a talented trifecta and put to ease the recruiting questions we all have. On the other hand, they could strike out. Who wouldn’t want to play Tressel ball for four years or party in Troy while it burns to the ground? If that happens, lets not panic. Coach the players we have, and mentor these 3 and 4 star high school recruits into five star college athletes.

Bob Diaco has been named the new defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Notre Dame. Diaco comes by way of Cincinnati where he served as the defensive coordinator for the last season. Diaco took over a squad at Cincinnati that had lost majority of its starters to graduation, 10 in fact. He also had the pleasure of coaching an ex ND-QB at linebacker, Demetrius Jones. The Cincinnati defense showed signs of life this past season while replacing nearly all of its starters. Diaco also spent the season installing his schemes 3-4 schemes into the defense replacing the 4-3.

Before Cincinnati Diaco coached at Virginia. He coached linebackers and special teams there before taking over as defensive coordinator for the Cavaliers. He also pulled in some recruits from the North East part of the country.

Before Virginia Diaco was in Michigan. No not those Michigan’s we play every year. Diaco held positions at Eastern, Western and Central Michigan. Turns out Northern Michigan has a school and a football program but no word yet on why Diaco has yet to make a stop there, settling for the directional trifecta instead of completing all four points on the compass. At Central Michigan he was the co-defensive coordinator and LB’s coach under Brian Kelly.

Diaco prepped as a linebacker at Iowa finishing as a semifinalist for the Butkus award. He lead dominate defenses on the field and played with a certain fire. Diaco is still the 7th all time leading tackler at Iowa.

Having recently converted a teams defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 bodes well for Diaco and Notre Dame. ND will be replacing the 4-3 and moving towards a 3-4 with that key hybrid defensive end/linebacker. Much has been written about the benefits of the 3-4 vs the 4-3, but Billy at Fighting Irish Footblog details it best. The thought of being able to utilize the pass rush of Darius Flemming as a Linebacker excites most ND fans. Flemming knew how to get after the QB from the defensive line but struggled defending the run last season. With Flemming hopefully moving to the hybrid linebacker position, he can continue to excel as a pass rusher and be free enough to stop the run. All everything Manti Teo and Brian Smith return in the middle to provide some formidable depth. Diaco will have some options when it comes to his linebackers and D-line and will hopefully turn this defensive unit into a stout wrecking force.

Charley Molnar is the latest offensive coordinator and quarter backs coach replacing Charlie Weis and Ron Powlus respectively. Molnar becomes the 2nd Charley at Notre Dame to spell one of his names differently. (Charley and Weis instead of Charlie and Wise). Molnar comes by way of Cincinnati (surprise), where he was the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach. His expertise has always been in the passing game and he lead the Bearcats to numerous passing records in 2007.

Molnar arrived at Cincinnati from Central Michigan where he coached the aerial attack for Brian Kelly. He also got valuable experience coaching QB’s at CMU and will use that experience to coach signal callers at ND. Molnar’s other stops include a long list of schools, some directional and some not. He has held coordinator positions at Indiana State, Kent State, and Illinois State. He has also been a position coach at Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Eastern Illinois, Western Carolina, Virginia, and Lock Haven. His coaching career has spanned the past 25 years.

Molnar began his player career at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania. After that he coached at his Alma Mater at nearly every offensive position.

Molnar is inheriting some talent at ND, but has a new system to put in place. Molnar coached some great receivers in his time and will look to mentor the ND quarterbacks. All one of them. The cupboard is pretty bare for Molnar when it comes to Irish signal callers. The Great Dayne as we all know is coming off a knee surgery and will be limited all spring. Also Dayne has only played, 38 minutes in his career. 38 minutes is not a long time and equates to a career stat line of 10-20 for 130 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. Molnar will try and convert Christ from the West Coast offense he has studied under for the past two years to running the spread offense. Christ showed he can tuck the ball and run this past year when he did so numerous times against Purdue. Joining Christ is new freshman QB Tommy Rees who has enrolled at ND a semester early. Talk of Goodman moving back to QB and making sure Andrew Hendrix stays committed will be some of Molnar’s early tasks.

What will be interesting to see with both coordinators is how they recruit nationally. Not a lot of data on the caliber of recruits either has pulled in. When it comes to recruiting a lot of coaches are involved, but it starts with the head coach and coordinators. Molnar and Diaco don’t have the prestigious last names of Stoops, Pelini, Foster, Venables, or Muschamps to open the door with, but they bring years of experience. Next steps are to sure up this years class, and then get the current players to buy into their system. Change is never easy with the current players on your team, but with the talent this team has, they could be explosive.