A look at the history of Notre Dame football’s DCs under Brian Kelly
By Brad Weiss
Notre Dame football DCs: Brian VanGorder (2014-2016), Greg Hudson (2016)
A man who some believe is the worst hire of Brian Kelly’s career, Brian VanGorder came to the Irish to replace Diaco during the 2014 college football season. Known for his aggressive style of play, VanGorder had a history with Kelly, as he coached with him decades before at Grand Valley State.
There were some highs, like Jaylon Smith, who absolutely dominated the college football landscape, but for VanGorder, his exit from the program was one of the more embarrassing in recent memory. Fired four games into the 2016 season, students would chant “Fire VanGorder” during games, and he was relieved of his duties after the Irish lost to Duke.
In 2016, his defense was allowing better than 33 points per game, so it is no wonder he was let go mid-season. For VanGorder, he would continue his coaching career after leaving South Bend and is currently the defensive coordinator at Bowling Green.
His replacement, former Irish linebacker Greg Hudson finished out the season, as he was promoted from his defensive analyst position. However, he was not given the role for the 2017 campaign and has not coached since.