What is the common thread to being successful at Notre Dame?
Leahy, Ara, Devine, Holtz and Kelly all had success as college football head coaches before getting the Notre Dame job. Sure they took different ways to get there, but if you show you can coach successfully for an extended amount of time before getting to South Bend, history shows you’re probably going to win once you get there.
And no, before you mention Tyrone Willingham – earning a berth to one Rose Bowl while going eight games total over .500 in seven years at Stanford doesn’t count as sustained success.
Hope you enjoyed this. One note from the list (I could probably give you 100) – how does one rank Dabo Swinney ahead of Urban Meyer? I get Urban is as shady as the day is long but the guys resume (more national titles, winning in multiple places) speaks for itself (and that’s not a knock on Dabo!).