Notre Dame Football: Irish lose offensive line coach Harry Heistand
By Chase Eyrich
Notre Dame football lost their second coach this week as Harry Hiestand will head to the NFL and the Chicago Bears.
The departure of Notre Dame football offensive line coach Harry Hiestand only means one thing, the Irish have great coaches.
Of course, this puts Notre Dame in a disadvantage losing their second coach this week. On the bright side, that’s what’s you should expect. Great assistants are always looking for ways to move up. The fact that Notre Dame coaches have been sought out for is a good thing.
Unfortunately, it does leave a void for the Irish. Head coach Brian Kelly has already filled the defensive coordinator role by promoting Clark Lea into the position. Now he will be hard at work to fill this new void. But, there are no hard feelings between the two. WNDU’s statement from Brian Kelly shows his appreciation for his former assistant.
"“Harry is an outstanding coach–one of the best offensive line coaches in football,” said Kelly in a statement. “He developed young men in the spirit of Notre Dame. I know this was a difficult decision for him based upon his feelings for this program, this University and his student-athletes.”More from Notre Dame FootballPointsBet Promo: Bet $50, Win an Official Jersey at Fanatics!Notre Dame vs NC State: How to watch, odds, injuries, series history and moreCaesars Indiana Sign-Up Promo: Win $250 GUARANTEED Bonus Betting on Notre Dame This Week!FanDuel + DraftKings Indiana Promos: Bet $10 on Notre Dame, Win $400 Bonus GUARANTEED!New Caesars + DraftKings Indiana Promos: $450 GUARANTEED Bonus Backing Notre Dame vs. Navy!"
This will be the second stint for Hiestand in Chicago. He was the Bears’ offensive line coach from 2005-2009. He then took a job with Tennessee from 2010-2011 before joining Notre Dames’ coaching staff.
From Notre Dame to the NFL
Hiestand was brought on by Brian Kelly and has found great success with the Irish. One of the great things about him as a coach is how well he can prepare players for the NFL. Hiestand developed great NFL talent out of South Bend in Nick and Zack Martin and Ronnie Stanley who have been top NFL prospects.
This season it was Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey who he curated for the NFL. Both players are expected to be first-round picks in this years’ NFL Draft.
The two helped the Irish offensive line win the Joe Moore Award, which is received by the nation’s most outstanding offensive line. The line was a huge part of Josh Adams strong season and Heisman conversation. The jump from a 4-8 season to 10-3 had a lot to do with how strong this unit was.
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Hiestand worked alongside Kelly as his longest lasting assistant in South Bend. While there is no great time to lose a coach of Hiestand’s caliber, Notre Dame is in the midst of rebuilding an offensive line with the departures of Nelson and McGlinchey.