Tag: Coaching changes

Commanders announce multiple staff changes

The Commanders announced some coaching moves Tuesday.

The Washington Commanders have had some coaching movement since the end of the season. The Commanders lost defensive backs coach Chris Harris to the Tennessee Titans. Washington didn’t immediately name a replacement, but the thinking was the Commanders would promote from within and spread out the responsibilities.

On Tuesday, the Commanders announced they had promoted three coaches in the secondary:

  • Brent Vieselmeyer has been promoted to the role defensive backs coach
  • Richard Rodgers has been promoted to the role of senior defensive assistant/safeties
  • Cristian Garcia has been promoted to the role of assistant defensive backs/nickels coach

On offense, Washington officially announced the hiring of Stanford quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard as the new QB coach. Pritchard played quarterback at Stanford and immediately went into coaching, serving as offensive coordinator for the previous five seasons. Overall, he spent the past 13 seasons as a coach at his alma mater.

In response to that move, former QB coach Ken Zampese moves into a new role as senior offensive advisor/game management. Zampese is entering his 25th NFL season as a coach and his fourth with the Commanders.

The Commanders interviewed Chiefs running back Greg Lewis for a role on new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s staff, but no announcement has been made at this time.

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Notre Dame football: Harry Hiestand announces immediate retirement

Never a dull moment when it comes to Notre Dame football.

Just minutes before the kickoff of Super Bowl LVII between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, Notre Dame football sent out the following press release regarding offensive line coach Harry Hiestand:

SOUTH BEND, IN — Harry Hiestand, a 40-year collegiate coaching veteran who returned to Notre Dame in 2022 for a second time as the Joe Moore Offensive Line Coach, has announced his retirement from coaching.

“I have made the decision to retire,” Hiestand said. “It is important to me to spend time with my family, as I have two kids competing in college athletics, one for his last season, and I have decided it is time for me to be a part of that. I am thankful for the opportunity Father Jenkins, Jack Swarbrick and especially Coach Freeman gave me to return for a seventh season coaching the offensive line at Notre Dame.

“Coach Freeman sets the example for Notre Dame Football every day, and he brings out the best in all of us. The players, especially the offensive line, are the best part of this great job and I thank them for their hard work.”

Hiestand returned to Notre Dame for the 2022 season after spending the 2018 and 2019 seasons as the offensive line coach for the Chicago Bears. His first term with the Notre Dame football program was from 2012 through 2017.

“I want to personally thank Coach Hiestand for coming out of retirement for my first year as a head coach, and raising the standard, not only for our offensive line, but for our entire team,” Dick Corbett Head Coach Marcus Freeman said.

“We are so grateful for all of the work he has put in during his two stints here at Notre Dame. Coach Hiestand has experienced success at the highest levels of coaching and I am forever grateful for the wisdom he has shared with myself and our entire coaching staff. Coach Hiestand will be forever a part of Notre Dame Football. Congratulations to Harry, Terri and his entire family on a much deserved retirement from coaching! We wish them all of the best.”

Hiestand helped develop the 2022 team into one of the more dependable units in the country. The Irish rushed for over 200 yards six times during the 2022 season and finished 35th in the country at 189.9 yards per game. Notre Dame also protected the quarterback at a high level, surrendering just 1.62 sacks per game (40th in the country). Sophomore left tackle Joe Alt collected five first-team All-America honors from various publications when the season concluded, while left guard Jarrett Patterson was also named a Second Team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association.

The Irish rushed for 2,457 yards in 2022, which was the sixth-highest total for the program since 1996.

During his first term with the Irish, Hiestand developed a number of offensive linemen into Top-3 round NFL Draft picks. In his six years in South Bend, he had six offensive linemen selected in the first three rounds (Quenton Nelson, first; Ronnie Stanley, first; Zack Martin, first; Mike McGlinchey, first; Nick Martin, second; and Chris Watt, third). Over the 11 NFL Drafts (2002-12) prior to Hiestand’s arrival, only two Irish offensive linemen were drafted in the first three rounds and not a single one since 2007.

Of the six linemen drafted, three of them were selected in the Top-10 picks of the draft (Nelson – 5th, 2018; McGlinchey – 9th, 2018 and Stanley – 6th, 2016). Nelson was the highest drafted Notre Dame player since Rick Mirer was selected second overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1993 draft.

Prior to his first stint at Notre Dame, Hiestand coached at Tennessee for two years (2010-11) after working with the offensive line with the Chicago Bears from 2005-09. He coached the offensive line at Illinois from 1997-2004 and at Missouri from 1994-96.

Hiestand’s first coaching job at the FBS level occurred at Toledo, where he worked with the tight ends from 1988-89. He worked with the offensive line as a graduate assistant at USC in 1987, after coaching the tight ends at Penn in 1986.

His first assistant coach role came at Hiestand’s alma mater, East Stroudsburg. Hiestand was offensive line coach from 1984-85 and assistant offensive line coach in 1983 at the NCAA Division II school after serving as a student assistant in 1982.

Hiestand began his college career as an offensive lineman at Springfield College (Mass.) before transferring to East Stroudsburg, where injuries ended his playing career. He graduated from East Stroudsburg in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education.

Born Nov. 19, 1958, in Malvern, Pennsylvania, Hiestand and his wife Terri have four children – Michael, Matthew, Mark and Sarah.

 

THE HIESTAND FILE

Hometown: Malvern, Pennsylvania

High School: Radnor High School

College: East Stroudsburg (Pa.) (Health and Physical Education, 1983)

Wife: Terri

Children: Daughter – Sarah; Sons – Michael, Matthew and Mark

 

PLAYING EXPERIENCE

1978-79 Springfield (Mass.) Offensive Line

1980-81 East Stroudsburg (Pa.) Offensive Line

 

COACHING CAREER

1982 East Stroudsburg (Pa.) Student Assistant

1983 East Stroudsburg (Pa.) Assistant Offensive Line

1984-85 East Stroudsburg (Pa.) Offensive Line

1986 Pennsylvania Tight Ends

1987 USC Graduate Assistant

1988 Toledo Tight Ends

1989-93 Cincinnati Offensive Line

1994-96 Missouri Offensive Line

1997-04 Illinois Offensive Line

2005-09 Chicago Bears Offensive Line

2010-11 Tennessee Offensive Line

2012-17 Notre Dame Offensive Line

2018-19 Chicago Bears Offensive Line

2022 Notre Dame Offensive Line

 

BOWLS/PLAYOFF GAMES COACHED

1988 USC (Rose)

1999 Illinois (Micron PC)

2001 Illinois (Sugar)

2005 Chicago Bears (NFL Divisional Round)

2006 Chicago Bears (Super Bowl XLI)

2010 Tennessee (Music City)

2012 Notre Dame (BCS National Championship)

2013 Notre Dame (Pinstripe)

2014 Notre Dame (Music City)

2015 Notre Dame (Fiesta)

2017 Notre Dame (Citrus)

2018 Chicago Bears (NFL Wild Card Round)

2022 Notre Dame (Gator)

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Porter Moser reportedly high on list to replace Brey at Notre Dame

Would you like this hire?

With a month to go in the season, the task of filling the retiring [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag]’s job as Notre Dame coach isn’t urgent yet. However, one name already appears to be emerging as a front-runner. According to the Twitter handle Coaching Changes, Oklahoma coach Porter Moser is interested in the job, and Notre Dame reportedly is interested in return:

Moser, in his second season with the Sooners, is no stranger to coaching at a Division I Catholic university. He spent 10 seasons at Loyola-Chicago, leading the program to a surprising Final Four run in 2018 and helping make Sister Jean a household name. His background alone has to have made him a candidate for at least some Irish fans. He is for us.

Before you get too excited though, Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune rightfully points out that Moser pulling up stakes would be costly for the Sooners. Still, Moser failing to replicate the success he had in Chicago thus far could give them cause to bite the bullet:

So basically, we have a long way to go before the Irish name Brey’s successor. Until then, we will continue to speculate. Don’t you just love coaching rumors a week into February?

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Christian Robinson will not be retained by Auburn Football

Robinson served as linebackers coach for Bryan Harsin’s staff for the 2022 season.

It appears that Auburn’s linebackers coach during 2022, and a favorite among recruits, will not be coaching under Hugh Freeze going forward.

Nathan King of 247Sports reported Thursday morning that Auburn linebackers coach [autotag]Christian Robinson[/autotag] will not be a part of the new staff. Following the hiring of Hugh Freeze, Robinson remained at Auburn to help with recruiting efforts alongside [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag] and [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag].

It was believed that Etheridge and Robinson would be retained on staff, but their roles were not immediately known.

In the three weeks since Hugh Freeze has been the head coach at Auburn, he has hired three defensive coaches: [autotag]Ron Roberts[/autotag] (defensive coordinator), [autotag]Jeremy Garrett[/autotag] (defensive line coach), and [autotag]Wesley McGriff[/autotag] (defensive assistant). Zac Etheridge is also expected to be retained on staff.

Now that Robinson’s fate is known. It appears that Freeze needs to hire a linebackers coach, as well as a receivers coach, to round out his staff.

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Winners and losers from the college football coaching carousel so far

Who are the winners and losers of the coaching carousel so far?

This season’s college football coaching carousel is moving at a rapid pace. Programs all over the nation have wasted little time making big moves at the head coaching position. The number of coaching changes in the sport is at an all-time high.

TCU’s Sonny Dykes and USC’s Lincoln Riley are prime examples of how hiring the right coach can turn the team around in a heartbeat.

Two Big Ten schools made splash hires as Nebraska landed former Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule and Wisconsin stole Luke Fickell from Cincinnati.

Auburn decided on Liberty coach Hugh Freeze after some rumored flirtations with Lane Kiffin.

Perhaps the most significant coaching hire came from Colorado as the Buffalos hired Deion Sanders from Jackson State. His presence immediately brings Colorado into the national spotlight and a major player for elite talent.

Take a look at some of the winners and losers of this year’s coaching cycle thus far.

Notre Dame Football: 5 things for this morning (Nov. 29, 2022)

It’s really already been one year!?

We’re going to try something new here at Fighting Irish Wire as we settle into the postseason.  Each day we’re going to try and get you set up with five things to know in regard to Notre Dame athletics for the day.  Obviously, that will largely have to do with the football team but it’ll be a way to shout out some of the other sports and athletes as well.  Perhaps a podcast or video or something else will grow and be part of this as well?

Here are your five things to know in regard to Notre Dame, college football, and college athletics as a whole this Tuesday morning, November 29, 2022.

Texas WR coach Brennan Marion emerges as a candidate for Tulsa HC job

Texas assistant Brennan Marion is in the mix for the Tulsa job.

Texas wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator Brennan Marion is being linked to the Tulsa head coaching job. Continue reading “Texas WR coach Brennan Marion emerges as a candidate for Tulsa HC job”

College Football: Most surprising storylines at the halfway point of the season

The 2022 college football season has been full of surprises.

In the flash of an eye, we have already made it to the halfway point of the 2022 college football season.

We have seen enough football played to have an idea of who entered the season overrated, underrated and who is in contention for the College Football Playoff heading down the stretch. The usual suspects of Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia and Clemson are all looking good for a playoff spot while a few newcomers are trying to knock them off.

College football has treated fans to a fantastic state so thus far. A number of intriguing storylines have taken place through six weeks of action. We have seen multiple coach firings, massive upsets and so much more.

The beginning of the year has set us fans up for an exciting conclusion to the 2022 campaign.

Here is a look at eight of the most surprising storylines we have witnessed this college football season.

Report: Texas assistant Jeff Choate a candidate for the Colorado job

Texas co-defensive coordinator Jeff Choate is a name to monitor in Colorado’s head coaching search. 

The college football coaching carousel is off to an early start this season.

Multiple Power Five programs have already announced they are moving on from their head coaches. Arizona State, Colorado, Nebraska and Wisconsin are among the schools looking for new coaches thus far.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic recently reported a list of candidates to replace Karl Dorrell at Colorado. Texas co-defensive coordinator Jeff Choate is a name to monitor in Colorado’s head coaching search.

Choate handles inside linebacker coaching duties for the Longhorns. Texas linebackers Jaylan Ford and DeMarvion Overshown are playing excellent football so far this season. He has played a major role in the Texas defense drastically improving against the run.

The Texas assistant has head coaching experience as he led Montana State for back-to-back FCS playoff appearances in 2018 and 2019.

Steve Sarkisian saw running backs coach Stan Drayton receive the Temple head coaching gig last offseason. Choate is one of a few Texas assistants who could be in the mix for head coaching jobs in the near future.

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Notre Dame assistant named as Georgia Tech possibility

Who should Georgia Tech make their top priority?

Georgia Tech became the third team to fire their head coach since the 2022 college football season started when they fired Geoff Collins on Monday.  Some have stated that Deion Sanders deserve a long, hard look from Jackson State, but if it isn’t him, who might it be for the once-proud Yellow Jackets?

Pete Thamel, ESPN’s college football version of Adrain Wojnarowski, listed 17 names of possible candidates to be the new Georgia Tech head coach and one of them is a Notre Dame assistant coach.

No, not that Notre Dame assistant.

Al Golden, the Temple coach from 2006-10 and Miami head man from 2011-2015, was among those named.  Golden went a combined 59-59 between those two stops before landing in the NFL as a defensive assistant.

Joining Golden on Thamel’s list were these 16 others, several of which you’ll notice are offensive assistants from right up the street:

  • Thomas Brown — Los Angeles Rams TE coach
  • Troy Calhoun — Air Force HC
  • Jamey Chadwell — Coastal Carolina HC
  • Bill Clark — Former UAB HC
  • George Godsey — Baltimore Ravens TE coach
  • Alex Grinch — USC DC
  • Charles Huff — Marshall HC
  • Brent Key — Interim Georgia Tech HC
  • Sean Lewis — Kent State HC
  • Bryan McClendon — Georgia WR coach
  • Dell McGee — Georgia RB coach
  • Bronco Mendenhall — Former Virginia HC
  • Jeff Monken — Army HC
  • Todd Monken — Georgia OC
  • Bill O’Brien — Alabama OC
  • Kane Wommack — South Alabama HC

In case you are wondering, yes, George Godsey is the older brother of former Notre Dame quarterback-tight end [autotag]Gary Godsey[/autotag] who one did enough to help Notre Dame beat a [autotag]Drew Brees[/autotag]-led Purdue team.

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