Kelly’s first hire could be his old friend from Grand Valley State Chuck Martin. Martin took over the helm at GVSU and has led the Lakers to a 61-5 record with 2 national championships. Martin also has his team in the hunt for his 3rd championships this Saturday. Martin is known for being a defensive minded coach who served as Kelly’s D-coordinator during his tenure. During that time his defense was known for its run stopping abilities and their ball-hawking tendencies. Two things that were desperately needed by this years squad. Kelly has expressed interested in Martin in the past but Martin has yet to leave GVSU. Martin has recently commented about his interests in Notre Dame and it would be tough for him to stay put if Kelly comes calling.Kelly’s next move would be to determine the current ND Defensive Coordinators fate. John Tenuta and Corwin Brown have yet to show any signs of improvement, but that doesn’t mean they are not worth keeping. Tenuta agreed to be a position coach when first hired by Charlie Weis, but that was with the knowledge he would be calling plays soon there after. Tenuta who coached the LB’s in 2008 was highly regarded coming from Georgia Tech where he led a top 30 defense every year. After leaving the Jackets he was rumored for numerous jobs including the Michigan State coaching gig and the Defensive job that was left vacated by Bo Pelini at LSU. It seems like it would a tough sell for Tenuta to stay on with ND in a lower role.
Corwin Brown was given a chance under Charlie Weis. After coaching for many years under great minds like Belichick, Crennel, and Herm Edwards. Weis gave a talented young coach a shot and he led a decent defense. He switched the Irish into a 3-4 D and never had the right players he wanted. This year the defense was switched back to a 4-3 and Corwin gave a lot of responsibilities over to Tenuta. Corwin is talented mind who coaches with passion that is evident on the sidelines every Saturday. It may be tough to keep him around, has he has a bright future calling defensive plays.
Randy Hart literally coached his heart out on the sidelines. Working with an undersized and young defensive line, Hart made some strides. By no means was the defensive line the strong point of the defense, but they showed potential. Working with guys that were recruited for a 3-4-type defense and in his first year, Hart showed fire and determination to improve his players. Hart would be a great holdover for Kelly but he may be unlikely to stay and look for greener pastures back in the Northwest, where he spent 21 years with Washington.
Brian Polian has to go. Special teams have struggled under Weis and this was extremely evident this past year. Not much else to say here. A fresh face could breath new life into this aspect of the team.
Bernie Parmalee has coached a couple of great tight ends. He has worked with some greats that are now NFLers and now is mentoring Kyle Rudolph. It will be interesting to see if his name pops up for a coordinator job somewhere else.
Line coach Frank Verducci came in and made a difference in his first season with the offensive line. Coaching a much maligned but talented group, we started to see potential out of the line we had always wanted and needed to see. Verducci is well respected in the game and this may be his only year at ND. The NFl could lure him back and he may even follow Weis. Kelly would be wise to hire Verducci has he has proven his worth not only at ND but everywhere he has been. With the loss of 3 starters on the offensive line, and the recruiting of all-world Seantrel Henderson at tackle, Verducci could and should be a holdover from the old regime. Cincinnati’s offensive line coach is Jeff Quinn who is highly touted as Kelly successor at UC.
Running back coach Tony Alford has made the ND running backs shine. Armando Allen, Robert Hughes, and Theo Riddick all stepped up their game this year. These players ran with a renewed passion and a second level of burst. Numerous many times before Alford got to South Bend were the runners hit once and spilled. Alford provided the coaching they needed and the running backs improvement was evident. Kelly would be wise to keep Alford around.
Ron Powlus is Ron Powlus. My formative years were spent watching Rick Mirer and then Powlus. Man that guy looked good in a number 3 jersey. Powlus has come into his coaching roll and has done a decent job. As much as Charlie groomed the qb’s, Powlus has been there to help. Not known for his recruiting prowess, Powlus has stepped upped and help mentor the current QB’s. Still getting his feet wet, Powlus can teach fundamentals of not only football, but also what it is to be a highly touted star and Notre Dame quarterback. This could prove invaluable as new qb Dayne Crist will be taking over the reigns and current recruit Andrew Hendrix has already expressed interest in Powlus staying on at ND. Powlus’ counter part at Cincinnati Greg Forest has been with Kelly for 19 years. The difference with Forest is that he has helped coach many positions in his tenure. Forest prepped as a defensive back and has coached running back, wide receivers, and tight ends. Forest has mentored some great quarterbacks but his talent seems to lie in coaching receivers. Forest coached the top 5 WR in school history at GVSU. This brings us back to Ianello who left the WR coach vacant at ND. Forest would be a great addition to the ND staff as a WR coach and helping Powlus with Crist and Hendrix. Forest could thrive with his coaching of Floyd, Goodman, Kamara, Shaq and Walker.
With all this being said, Kelly has some work to do. Getting a staff in place will start to sure up the current recruits and paint a picture of how Kelly will run his team. Lots of work to be done in the bend, but it seems like the excitement is palpable and Kelly can make a difference.
No comments:
Post a Comment