Notre Dame Football: Enjoy Clark Lea While You Can
By J.P. Scott
The new defensive coordinator has the look and feel of a guy who might not be with Notre Dame football for long.
Heading into the 2018 Notre Dame football season, many close to and with a vested interest in the program are thankful for Clark Lea’s presence. He is viewed as a valuable piece of continuity after the departure of Mike Elko.
Lea is everything you want in a coach at Notre Dame. He’s a former player who has coached at a variety of levels and conferences. He is loved and respected by the players and coaches he has worked with at every stop of his career.
Additionally, he’s young, energetic and full of ideas.
Because of those qualities, Clark Lea is a true asset to the Notre Dame football program and the University as a whole.
But because of those same qualities, he is also about to become a wanted man on the national stage when it comes to future coaching searches.
Lea has yet to work a single game as defensive coordinator for the Irish, but all signs are pointing to his defense repeating much of the success it had in 2017. As the linebackers coach last year, Lea was instrumental in that success — watching over what was arguably the most talented position group on the defensive side of the ball.
If the Irish approach or eclipse the 10-win mark again in 2018, it will very likely be because Lea’s defense was dominant. He will rightfully be commended for his effort, and he’ll immediately shoot to the top of the list of potential coaches for some of the hottest job openings.
His resume says it all. He knows what it’s like to play in the SEC. He has coached in the FCS, the MAC, the Pac-12 and the ACC. And he is now occupying a seat at Notre Dame that two of the previous three most recent occupants used to obtain head coaching gigs or more lucrative offers.
Source: Mike Elko’s deal at Texas A&M is three years at an average of $1.8 million per year.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 4, 2018
As it stands, Clark Lea has never stayed in one spot longer than three seasons during his coaching career.
It’s only a matter of time, especially with so many Power 5 schools at the bottom of their respective conferences closing in on three or four consecutive losing seasons with the same head coaches. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Clark Lea running his own program in places like Charlotteville, Va, Champaign, IL or even at his alma mater — Vanderbilt — any time in the next two years.
Next: 5 Future Site For ND-Navy
Clark Lea just assumed the biggest role he’s had so far in his coaching career, but it’s very likely that he’s not too far away from moving on and up once again.