DC rumor
- Thread starter Classic Irish
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Kelly made between 7-8 million per year. Freeman makes 7 million per year. Thats almost a wash.
ND is it private institution and doesn't have to share salary information so either someone has a really close inside contact or someone is talking out of their ass
I seriously doubt that Marcus Freeman is getting paid anywhere near as much as Brian Kelly was. Kelly has 30 years of head coaching experience and is a known commodity.
Freeman is green and freshly called up from the farm with a lot to prove.
My guess is Brian Kelly was making somewhere between 8 to 10 million at Notre Dame and Freeman is probably in the 2 to 4 million range
Probably closer to $4 million for Freeman. Or he might have escalators in his contract. If I was the AD that is how I would do it.
BK also had other revenue sources because of longevity and where he was.
MF is making between 5 and 6 mil
Bk was making between 7 and 9
That's what I've read
That's possibly a $4 million difference. Regardless of what he's making, ND is saving money and we can afford a top DC. There's no doubt. If Clark gets canned, I would hope MF would consider him next season if whomever we hire doesn't pan out. But I'd rather we find someone amazing now.
Derek Mason is the lead candidate for the Oklahoma State job. Heacock likely turned us down. Sounds like Doug Belk got a huge raise and hasn't seemed like he's interested in ND job. Sources say Mike Tressel is not interested in leaving Cincy. Ash and Banks are not home run hires, IMO and would likely only be offered if the above list turned us down. That's not exactly exciting.
A name that has circulated a little is Al Golden. While I am not sure if he's a home run hire or not (from my knowledge he would be), he has a lot of experience, including time as a head coach and NFL experience as a linebackers coach. He could be a good fit for a variety of reasons (name recognition for recruiting buzz, familiarity with Florida, time as a HC, NFL, and he coached linebackers at the Bengals). I am not sure what kind of recruiter he is (I bet he's not bad at all), but between MF and Al Washington, I am not sure the DC needs to be a top level recruiter. The recruiting emphasis at this point should be on the other side of the ball. We have enough top level recruiters on the defensive side of the ball. The DC needs to be experienced, preferably a strong linebackers guy, someone that will excite the recruits, know how to manage assistant coaches, good at x's and o's, and as a cherry on top, be able to support MF with some much needed HC background. Al Golden checks all those boxes.
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How about Tyler Stockton? He has done quite well as DC at Ball State and linebacker coach. Up for the Broyles Award two years in a row. Also an ND grad/player.
Pretty awesome to see what he’s been able to do at Ball State. I think we need someone a little more seasoned though.
Yesterday, Eric Hansen shared his knowledge of the Jon Heaton issue. Apparently it had nothing to do with money but he did not want to be a position coach. Whoever, MF brings is as DC will more than likely have to coach LBs.
As for Elston, he wanted the DC position but after the Fiesta Bowl fiasco, MF wanted to go another direction. Apparently, he has wanted that position for quite some time but BK passed him over ever since BVG was hired. Even when BK went to LSU, he only offered Elston the Dline position. From some interviews Hansen has heard, Elston is pretty sour on the whole situation which is why he left after saying his children wanted to attend ND.
I wish Elston nothing but good things. Heck of a Dline coach but it appears no one thinks he is a DC material yet.
As for Elston, he wanted the DC position but after the Fiesta Bowl fiasco, MF wanted to go another direction. Apparently, he has wanted that position for quite some time but BK passed him over ever since BVG was hired. Even when BK went to LSU, he only offered Elston the Dline position. From some interviews Hansen has heard, Elston is pretty sour on the whole situation which is why he left after saying his children wanted to attend ND.
I wish Elston nothing but good things. Heck of a Dline coach but it appears no one thinks he is a DC material yet.
I think Al Golden is an interesting option because of his experience, could be a sounding board for MF which should help him as a first time HC. It sounds like he would not be a popular hire by some but could be a valued veteran coaching presence. For Golden, it could be a springboard to another HC opening down the road. Plus his name is Golden.
Golden was very mediocre when he was DC at UVA. He’s serviceable, I guess, but we can (and should) do much, much better.
I am curious to who others think ND should hire (realistically). Heaton is out. Mike Tressel is being reported to have no interest (he would fit because he also coaches LB).
I know Belk is a hot name and the Houston defensive stats looked good but that was also against AAC teams. They gave up over 30 points to SMU, Texas Tech, South Florida and Cincinnati which makes you wonder what ND's opponents would have scored against them this past season.
I know Belk is a hot name and the Houston defensive stats looked good but that was also against AAC teams. They gave up over 30 points to SMU, Texas Tech, South Florida and Cincinnati which makes you wonder what ND's opponents would have scored against them this past season.
The only other one was Banks. He was the least successful one on the list so I certainly hope he’s not the eventual hire. Derek Mason was my hope after Heaton appeared out. Tressel as well, but he’s out. Belk out from all accounts. I think Golden is the best left of the list provided, but he might not want it. He’s a big name and brings experience and swag (only coach to wear a tie to every game).
Something’s off when you consider the high pay, prestige of ND, as well as the fact we rank #1 in recruiting on defense. To bring in a mediocre DC would be very disappointing.
I think Al Golden is kind of like hiring BVG. BVG was a respected stud, award-winning DC at one point, which is probably why BK went after him. I think BVG had worked alongside BK for one season, and he was not any sort of 'crony'. But he did have a reputation as a fairly top DC. I guess little did anyone know that the game was passing him by, and he was losing his touch in any event, and I would be very apprehensive that hiring someone like AG could bring about much the same or similar result. Not because Golden's defensive tactics are obviously outdated, I don't know anything about his schemes and whatnot, but more that the game has perhaps passed Golden by as well in that more elusive and general way, and in any event you would end up regretting the hire if you're Marcus Freeman.
Especially if MF wants to be involved personally in the defense, he should look for someone a bit younger and more amenable to MF's way of thinking. Which you might be concerned that Golden would not....
All's I can say is I would have major reservations about hiring Al Golden if it's true that he has not been a coordinator since 2005. Major alarm bells should seemingly be going off at the prospect I would think.... But he is a LB coach, so that's at least convenient.
Edit to add that BVG coached at Grand Valley for THREE YEARS, but only one as DC. So three seasons I suppose could constitute being a crony.....
Especially if MF wants to be involved personally in the defense, he should look for someone a bit younger and more amenable to MF's way of thinking. Which you might be concerned that Golden would not....
All's I can say is I would have major reservations about hiring Al Golden if it's true that he has not been a coordinator since 2005. Major alarm bells should seemingly be going off at the prospect I would think.... But he is a LB coach, so that's at least convenient.
Edit to add that BVG coached at Grand Valley for THREE YEARS, but only one as DC. So three seasons I suppose could constitute being a crony.....
I would love to have ash on board.
I like banks as well as Ash. Banks at one point in time coached a top 30 defensive unit. He was still in the top 50 at Tenn. last year with a ton of attrition. He does not have any ties with the staff.
Neither of them have done much of anything to associate them with "home run". Would be a disappointment. Ash at least coached under Meyer and has been in the league, but I still view him as meh.
ND has one of the best defenses in the nation talent wise and is recruiting the best talent in the country on that side of the ball. Hiring someone mediocre as DC threatens that progress. ND should be able to lure a top level coach, not middle of the pack. BK had no trouble getting the best DC's to come to ND in his last 3 hires. BK learned that you have to hire the very best in order to win and keep your job. The BVG's of the world don't cut it. So, he hired the best DC in the country when he brought in Mike Elko. It completely remade our defense. Elko and Lea are the reason for ND's success on that side of the ball, which is a major reason we made the playoffs and the carry over allowed us to go undefeated, again. He was also able to lure MF and take him from LSU for $2 million, making him one of the highest paid DC's in the nation. Now we are looking at guys that nobody else really wants that bad and whom carry little buzz. I hope MF really is carrying someone "close to the vest" as that article indicated. I do think the fact that Ash or Banks haven't been announced yet is that MF isn't too excited about them either.
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I am still a bit surprised Derek Mason isn't being pursued. If that means we have a better option, that is big. If it's because he also (Tressel, Heacock, Belk) doesn't want to be at ND, that is concerning. If Mason also doesn't want to be at ND, something head scratching is going on.
Supposedly he is linked to the Oklahoma State job. Starting to wonder if Al Golden has already been offered and they are waiting for the Bengals season to end before announcing.
I don't hate it if we hired Golden. I think he could be big for the program. The buzz he'd create would be pretty big. With MF collaborating with AG, and AG's experience as a LB coach, HC, NFL, we'd have an experienced, big name DC with ties to the NFL, the south, and much needed experience.
Freeman wants to have a heavy hand in the defense and wants his system to remain. Mason likely wants the freedom to run his own defense and he is more experienced doing it than Freeman.
Mason is a pretty intense dude if anything can be taken from he and BKs dust up a few years back.
