Quarterback Development Is A Must For Notre Dame's Offensive Coordinator Hire

Having someone in place to enhance the ability to develop Notre Dame quarterbacks is a must for Marcus Freeman with his next coordinator hire

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has a very important task in front of him as he begins interviewing candidates for the open offensive coordinator position. Landing a coach that can lead the offense, work well with the current staff, game plan at a high level and call plays at a high level is certainly important, but a case could be made that at the top of the list is finding someone who can recruit and develop quarterbacks at a high level.

Quarterback play has been a problem for Notre Dame for several seasons. At times it has been good, but never good enough to compete for a championship. Either the talent wasn't good enough or the talented players weren't prepared to play at a championship level. 

In Notre Dame's two playoff appearances, the Irish had the least talented and effective quarterback among the four contestants, and it wasn't close. Notre Dame was the only 2018 and 2020 playoff team to not have a first round draft pick at quarterback. That played a big role in Notre Dame scoring just 17 combined points in those two games.

In the playoff era, the team that won the national championship had an offense with a passer rating of at least 150.75 in all but one season (Alabama, 2015). The last four national champions had ratings of 161.58 or higher. During that same stretch, Notre Dame only had one season (2015) where it surpassed a 150.00 quarterback rating as a team. The next closest mark was 149.99 during the 2021 season.

Former Irish starters Ian Book (153.96 in 2018) and Jack Coan (151.83) were the only season-long starters to surpass the 150.00 mark.

Whoever ends up coaching the quarterbacks in 2023 and beyond is walking into a great situation. Notre Dame landed Wake Forest grad transfer Sam Hartman during the offseason, and big things are expected of him. Talented sophomore Tyler Buchner still has a chance to be a special college quarterback, incoming freshman Kenny Minchey is a very talented passer, and 2024 Irish commit CJ Carr is a true five-star talent.

If Notre Dame doesn't get championship caliber quarterback play over the next five to six seasons it won't be about a lack of talent. It will be about a lack of development, which not only includes a strong scheme, a staff that can put together strong plans during the week of preparation and great play-calling, it also requires a coordinator that can thrive as a quarterback position coach. 

Notre Dame needs a coach that can get the Irish signal callers to play sound football, be strong decision makers, be willing to take chances and also put a system in place that the quarterbacks can master both mentally and physically.

In past years, even when the talent was good, Notre Dame always had something missing at quarterback. This was especially true in big games, and that must change moving forward.

Freeman must not only focus on how well a coach can lead a staff, put together strong practice plans, be a strong game planner and call plays at a high level, he absolutely must prioritize a coach's proven ability to maximize the talent at quarterback. With the talent the current roster possesses, and with Carr coming in the following season, landing a coach who can maximize the quarterback room will give Notre Dame a chance to have a truly outstanding offense.

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