#FireVanGorder: Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator won’t last the season
By Greg Hadley
Defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder has Irish fans calling for his canning just three games into the season. Brian Kelly won’t be able to protect him forever.
Last night, in the midst of Notre Dame’s miserable first three quarters against Michigan State, the hashtag #FireVanGorder began trending on Twitter. That, in and of itself, is surprising. Of course, the Notre Dame defense played terribly Saturday. But to see the fury of the Irish fan base not directed at head coach Brian Kelly or any particular player, but an assistant coach, a coordinator, is unusual, to say the least.
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But it is completely justified, and what’s more, probably a wise decision for Kelly to make.
Two and a quarter seasons into VanGorder’s tenure as defensive coordinator, it’s clear that whatever this guy is doing, it’s not working. You can make excuses all you want about injuries and personnel and whatnot, but if Notre Dame is to be the national power Brian Kelly envisions, the defense simply cannot function as it has under VanGorder.
Whether or not Kelly realizes that, I can only imagine. In his Sunday teleconference, the coach once again defended his assistant, insisting that BVG is the only man for the job.
“Oh, absolutely,” Kelly said when asked if he was still confident in VanGorder. “Yeah, without question. That’s not even part of the conversation.”
Actions speak louder than words though, and this does not look like a whole lotta confidence:
— FootballScoop (@FootballScoop) September 18, 2016
Based off my rudimentary lip reading skills, I’m pretty sure Kelly wasn’t asking VanGorder if he wanted a pay raise.
So let’s take a look at the stats, shall we?
Under former defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, the Irish finished 33rd in the nation in total defense in 2013, seventh in 2012, 30th in 2011 and 50th in 2010 and 32nd in points allowed per game in 2013, second in 2012, 24th in 2011 and 23rd in 2010.
Now, the same rankings for VanGorder: 73rd and 45th in total yards, and 83rd and 39th in points. And if you think that’s rough, consider where the Irish rank now:102nd in yards allowed and 94th in points permitted. Even adjusting for the fact that most teams have yet to enter conference play, that’s horrifying. And here are a barrage of tweets to back those stats up.
Dating back to last year, in the past 5 games against Power 5 opponents, Irish D has allowed 23 red zone trips, 19 TDs and 4 FGs.
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) September 18, 2016
Of Notre Dame’s last 19 Power 5 opponents, 12 have put 30 points on the Irish defense.
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) September 18, 2016
#NotreDame now 103rd Pass-eff. D, 99 Rush D, 102 Total D, 94 Scoring D, 89 3rd Down D, 104 4th Down D, 93 Red Zone D (out of 128 im FBS).
— Eric Hansen (@EHansenND) September 18, 2016
#NotreDame defense is 100th in Tackles for Loss, 89th in turnovers gained, one of only 2 FBS teams still without a sack this season.
— Eric Hansen (@EHansenND) September 18, 2016
Two thoughts on the situation:
No. 1: Just because Kelly isn’t criticizing VanGorder to the press doesn’t mean he isn’t livid at his DC and demanding results. None of us know (and Bleacher Report likely isn’t going to show) what Kelly tells his coaches behind closed doors, but one can safely assume he’s not happy about how things played out last night.
No. 2: VanGorder’s scheme has always been about being more aggressive, trying for bigger plays and risking more than Diaco, who favored a bend-but-don’t-break style. But even that isn’t working this season, as evidenced by that last tweet.
And just to cap off this tweet storm, let’s take a look at what Brian Kelly has been “liking” lately.
Kelly asked about his twitter account, said a staffer responsible for this. pic.twitter.com/V3k5mS2JAE
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) September 18, 2016
I don’t doubt that Kelly is smart enough to avoid liking a tweet about firing one of his staff, but it still looks bad.
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The bottom line is, 2015 appears to be VanGorder’s best year to date, when the Irish finished 45th in total yards and 39th in points allowed. But look at the personnel he had to accomplish that: Jaylon Smith, Sheldon Day, Romeo Okwara, KeiVarae Russell are all NFL players now. Elijah Shumate was a steady force at safety, Isaac Rochell and Cole Luke were solid role players and Joe Schmidt was supposed to be a second coach on the field.
In 2010, Diaco’s worst statistical year, when the Irish finished 50th in yards allowed and 23rd in points, ND had Harrison Smith and a young Manti Te’o and Kapron Lewis-Moore. The Irish finished 8-5 that year.
Don’t tell me VanGorder doesn’t have the talent. Notre Dame’s recruiting has been on the up-and-up for several years now, and a great deal of those players have been on the defensive side of the ball. Don’t tell me he’s been the victim of injuries. The offense has dealt with plenty of injuries too and rebounded in the past. Don’t tell me VanGorder needs more time. Three seasons is plenty, and if the early results are any indication, he just doesn’t have it.
The numbers are against him. The fans are against him. And pretty soon, Brian Kelly will have to fire him or risk going down with him. It may not be as quickly as some people want, but Brian VanGorder will, barring a miracle turnaround, be gone by the end of the season.