The Notre Dame football program has a special talent in defensive coordinator Clark Lea, who is coaching his way into a head coaching job.
The Notre Dame football team is sitting pretty with a 9-0 record, this after defeating the No. 19 team in the College Football Playoff ranking, North Carolina, on Friday afternoon. The Irish and Tar Heels had a back-and-forth battle in the first half, before a styling Irish defense held Sam Howell and company in check over really the final three quarters.
It was the kind of dominant defensive performance that will check a lot of boxes in terms of the CFP committee keeping the Irish as one of their top-four teams in the latest rankings. Coming into the game, the Tar Heels boasted one of the more explosive offenses in all of college football, leading the FBS in plays ten yards or more while putting up over 30 points per game.
Against Notre Dame, that certainly was not the case, as defensive coordinator Clark Lea had a terrific game plan, one they worked to perfection in the second half. In fact, the Irish looked so dominant over the final three frames that the Tar Heels looked pedestrian at best on offense, and that is a testament to the job Lea is doing in his role.
A lot of the headlines go to the offensive stars like Ian Book and Kyren Williams, but Lea has built up an elite defense, and they have stepped up big on the brightest stages.
Notre Dame football: Clark Lea coaching his way into head coaching job
Lea has held some elite running backs in check
In two of their last three games, the Notre Dame football team took on one of the premier running backs in the country. Against No. 1 Clemson, the Irish had to come up with a game plan for Clemson star Travis Etienne, who many believe will be the only running back to land in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
On Friday, Notre Dame would take on the talented duo of Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, two players who came into the game averaging over seven yards per carrying. Williams, in particular, was one of the more explosive players in the country in terms of finding the end zone, leading all players with 18 touchdowns.
While both Etienne and Williams have dominated the college football landscape, that has not been the case against the Irish, as they racked up 28 yards respectively against Lea’s defense. It was another standout performance by not only the players but also by the defensive coordinator, who is becoming one of the best in the business at his job.
Notre Dame football: Clark Lea coaching his way into head coaching job
Head coach in the near future
At 38-years old, Lea is becoming a hot commodity, especially with the way he has turned this Irish defense into a premier unit in the country. No matter the opponent, whether No. 1 Clemson, or a team like Pittsburgh, Lea is putting together outstanding game plans every week, and the result has been an unblemished Irish record.
It has been a wild ride for Lea to get to this point, as he started his collegiate career as a baseball player, before landing in Vanderbilt to play football. From there, he became a graduate assistant at UCLA, and then became mostly a linebacker coach during his stops at South Dakota State, UCLA, Bowling Green, Syracuse, and then lastly, Wake Forest.
Notre Dame made him their defensive coordinator in 2018 when he replaced Mike Elko, who he followed to the Irish, and since then, the program has a 32-3 record.
To get a head coaching job at the college, or pro level, you have to be able to prove you can develop game plans that net wins in the biggest of games. Lea is proving that he can do that this season, and based on his age, and the buzz around him, his shot at becoming a head coach somewhere could be coming sooner rather than later.