Chicago Bears Eye Another Notre Dame Coach for Potential Role

The Marcus Freeman rumors were loud but now the Bears are back and interested in a Notre Dame assistant coach
Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph speaks with Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey (8) before a NCAA college football game against Florida State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in South Bend.
Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph speaks with Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey (8) before a NCAA college football game against Florida State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With success comes interest from others and that's what Notre Dame football is going through right now.

Already defensive coordinator Al Golden has left for the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals while general manager Chad Bowden has departed for USC. And now, the Chicago Bears have interest in a key Notre Dame assistant coach.

The Bears are reworking their coaching staff after replacing head coach Matt Eberflus this off-season with former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Johnson has filled his coordinator roles but is looking for an offensive line coach and reportedly has an interest in Joe Rudolph of Notre Dame.

Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolp
Notre Dame offensive lineman coach Joe Rudolph talks through a drill during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK

On the Football 301 Podcast, Nate Tice shared the interest the Bears have in exploring college options for the vacancy and mentioned Rudolph by name.

“It looks like they’re interviewing some college guys, including one I’m familiar with, Joe Rudolph, who is the offensive line coach at Notre Dame,” Tice said this past Tuesday.

Tice's connection to Rudolph is that he played quarterback at Wisconsin while Rudolph was coaching the offensive line in Madison.

Joe Rudolph's 2024 was as impressive as you could ask it to be of a Notre Dame assistant coach. Despite sustaining significant injuries to his group before the regular season kicked off, Notre Dame's offensive line switched players and positions all fall and still turned out one of the best units in college football in 2024.

Rudolph got into coaching in 2004 when he joined the Ohio State staff as a graduate assistant. He's stayed coaching in the college game since with stops at Nebraska, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Tech before landing at Notre Dame.

There has been no word on how far along the Bears are in choosing their next offensive line coach but it's certainly another thing to keep an eye on for Fighting Irish fans this winter.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Take:

Notre Dame offensive lineman Billy Schrauth and offensive line coach Joe Rudolph
Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph speaks with redshirt freshman guard Billy Schrauth (74) during drills Saturday, March 25, 2023, at Notre Dame spring football practice in South Bend / Greg Swiercz / USA TODAY NETWORK

In his short time at Notre Dame (two seasons) Rudolph has clearly shown the signs of a special offensive line coach. The most impressive part to me is the development. When you look at the players he got massive production out of in 2024, the majority weren't these mega-hyped recruits.

Anthonie Knapp was forced to start at left tackle as a true freshman and did so admirably. Knapp was a three-star recruit far down the national rankings.

Pat Coogan stepped into a key role at center after an injury to Ashton Craig. It wasn't like Coogan was an all-world recruit, being a three-star player when he enrolled at Notre Dame in 2021.

Although he hasn't helped produce a player quite on the same level as defensive backs Benjamin Morrison or Leonard Moore, Rudolph's story at Notre Dame is much like defensive backs coach Mike Mickens as it includes having a great ability to identify and develop talent that isn't as obvious as a top-ranked recruiting ranking.

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Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

Managing Editor for Notre Dame On SI. Started covering Chicago sports teams for WSCR the Score, and over the years worked with CBS Radio, Audacy, NBC Sports, and FOX Sports as a contributor before running the Notre Dame wire site for USA TODAY.