Notre Dame Offensive Coordinator Hire Needs To Be A Teacher First, Schemer Second
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has a big hire to make as he looks for his next offensive coordinator. Freeman has plenty of quality coaches to evaluate and attempt to hire, and he could go in a few different directions.
I have been asked at least a hundred times in the last week who my choice would be, and my answer remains the same. I don't care who he hires specifically, as there are plenty of quality candidates out there. I care more about what the next coach is about than I do picking one guy who in my own personal bias might be "my guy."
Freeman has an important choice to make here, and who he picks as his next offensive coordinator could very well be a decision that determines if his program can take a big step forward and become a national title contender. I'm very curious to see which direction he goes, and some of the names I've heard are very intriguing, others are quite concerning.
There are traits that are absolute musts for me when it comes to picking his next offensive coordinator, but there's a clear No. 1 trait that I'm looking for, but it's not the only key ingredient to success.
1. Be A Teacher First - There are really two ways Freeman can go with this hire, to put it broadly. One is to hire a coach with a great football mind who places his emphasis on complex schemes that can really go after opponents. Two is to hire a coach whose emphasis is first and foremost on being a teacher.
Look, no coach can just run three run plays and three pass plays, be really great at those, and then go win football games. That's not how football works at this level. Whoever Freeman hires has to be really smart, he has to have good scheme, he must be a coach that can battle wits with the best minds in the game.
But that can't be the foundation, that has to come second to being a great teacher.
What this means is that the scope of your scheme, and the amount of offense you employ, has to be determined more by what your players can handle. It's about saying first and foremost, as a staff we are going to make sure our players know how to play with great fundamentals first, and as they master fundamentals and learn how to play with great technique, we'll add more and more volume from a scheme volume standpoint.
That means being mindful of that point where once you pass it the fundamentals and technique start taking a step back. There seems to be more and more NFL influence in a lot of hires being made at the college level, and in some ways that can be very good, but the danger with those types of heavy scheme coaches is that it becomes more about the scheme and less about how the players play the game.
That's why you tend to see those teams require an elite quarterback, or perhaps a more veteran team, in order to play to their full potential. While big-time QB play and experience are important, what I have in view here are teams who can't be successful, at least to the talent they possess, if they don't have years in the system.
The best COLLEGE coaches, both as coordinators and position coaches, are those who understand it can't just be about scheme. There are a few guys here and there who can thrive without it, but they are the anomalies, not the norm. At Notre Dame, where players might be smarter, but also have far, far more away from football responsibilities, the coaches that do the best are those who understand the importance of master of technique first, and then mastery of scheme second.
This helps create more consistency, and it also allows coaches to have a better chance at getting more physically talented players on the field, even when they are younger.
A perfect example is Todd Monken at Geogia. Yes, he came from the NFL, but when Monken arrived at Georgia he kept the scope of the offense down, instead focusing on teaching the basics over and over. As the players gained more experience and mastered the technical aspects of the game he added more and more to the scheme. Monken is still a creative coach, he's still clearly a very sharp mind, but his team is so much better now, despite not having elite skill players on this year's title team, because his players know how to play the game, and play it at a high mental level.
Notre Dame needs that far, far more than a coach who has a three-inch thick playbook with answers to every conceivable look or coverage that a defense can throw at his unit.
2. Balance Is Key - Teams can win championships in different forms, but the recipe for Notre Dame is to be an outstanding rushing team that is also able to hurt teams throwing the football. Building a great ground attack without a complementary pass attack will get you what we saw in 2017 and 2022. It was quite good when it was on, but it just couldn't win enough games on a consistent enough basis.
Build a great pass attack without an impact run game will get you the offense Notre Dame had in 2008 and 2009. There were some beautiful moments throwing the football, but the lack of balance kept that offense from ever being championship caliber.
Notre Dame's next offensive coordinator must have the ability to create a balanced offense. My personal preference is more of a pro-style attack, but there are non-pro style offenses that have great balance.
3. Be Efficient and Explosive - There's another aspect to balance that must be a key aspect of the next offensive coordinator's philosophy. That is being an efficient offense that also generates big plays. Total yards are impressive numbers to look at, but my focus when evaluating an offense is more about yards per play, yards per carry, yards per pass attempt, etc. Those efficiency numbers are very, very important for a Notre Dame offense that wants to be championship worthy.
Having said that, efficiency only gets you so far, especially when playing teams like Ohio State, USC and Clemson in the regular season, and then teams like Georgia and Alabama in the College Football Playoff. You can't go on 7-8 play drives series after series against those teams. To beat those teams the Irish offense must also be able to generate big plays in the run game and pass game.
Find an offense that can be balanced offensively, and one that is efficient and explosive, and you have an offense that will put up enough points to compete for a championship.
4. Be Willing To Adapt and Adjust - This includes being able to adjust and adapt in games, but in-game adjustments can get too much attention. While it's important, there are plenty of other things that are even more important.
For a college coach that means being able to adapt and adjust to ever-changing rosters and landscapes. Even a team like Notre Dame is going to lose players in the portal, and if the team is winning a lot of games it will also lose players early to the NFL. That's on top of the normal wear and tear a depth chart goes through.
An offensive coordinator at Notre Dame must have a core foundation that he believes in, but he also must be able to adapt and adjust his offense to fit his personnel, which will change year-to-year. It means being willing to adjust the scope of your offense if it means you have to get an ultra-talented skill player on the field, or to adjust to a starter going down at a key position.
The best offensive minds are innovating, they are forward thinking, but they also must be a bit reactive based on how their roster is shaping up, how the game is evolving and for a coach at Notre Dame, based on a much more diverse schedule of opponents.
5. Recruiting Results Must Be Strong - I really don't care how he does it, whether it's being a grinder or just selling the results on the field, the reality is whoever the next coordinator is must get big-time recruiting results. Rees oversaw an outstanding haul on offense with the 2023 class, and the next coordinator needs to take that to another level.
Notre Dame cannot afford to have two coordinators who aren't getting the job done on the recruiting trail. The new offensive coordinator needs to be able to take what happened with the 2023 class and build on it.
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