Tony Alford Gone, Irish Coaching Staff Faces Shake Up
By Andrew Hall
News came today that Running Backs Coach Tony Alford would be leaving and joining the Ohio State staff. Earlier this week, Defensive Backs Coach Kerry Cooks and Quarterbacks Coach Matt LaFleur accepted positions at Oklahoma and with the Atlanta Falcons respectively.
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In one week, the Irish lost their best recruiting coaches. The Irish must now find a way to replace them.
The first replacement reportedly will be former Notre Dame Cornerback Todd Lyght. Lyght played for the Irish from 1987 to 1990. He was elected to the Pro Bowl in 2000. Since his retirement, Lyght has worked with Bishop Gorman High School, Oregon, the Philadelphia Eagles and, most recently, Vanderbilt.
The next replacement will likely be former Buffalo Head Coach Jeff Quinn. Quinn worked with Brian Kelly at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan and Cincinnati. He was a finalist for the Broyles Award, the nation’s top assistant, in 2009. In 2009, the Bearcats averaged 39.6 points per game, 4th in the country.
On the field, the hiring of Quinn should be extremely effective on the field. However, it will only be effective if Quinn is given the opportunity to place his fingerprints on the offense. Currently, Mike Denbrock is the Offensive Coordinator.
This leave one position to be filled. Although no candidates have been zeroed in on, he will have to meet three qualifications. First, Notre Dame desperately needs a great recruiter. The void left by Cooks and Alford is huge. Second, the coach will need to have a history of coaching Running Backs. Third, and perhaps most import, he needs to have a history with Brian Kelly or one of the other assistants.
Former Notre Dame Running Back Autry Denson is a possibility. Denson just accepted the same position at South Florida. He coached under Chuck Martin at Miami(OH) last year.