Notre Dame football: Coaching changes finally to end

After a tumultuous offseason full of coaching turnover, the Notre Dame football program looks to hang onto the remaining staff from last season. Most have, by now, seen the news of Brian Mason leaving the program to take the same position with the Indianapolis Colts. You can hardly blame him, as he was one of the best assistant coaches in the nation last year.

Still, it’s nice to hear from Irish Illustrated insider Tom Loy that coaches Chris O’Leary and Deland McCullough will likely stay in South Bend. Also, according to Bryan Driskell of Irish Breakdown, Chansi Stuckey was reported to have notified people of the same news. Given how incredibly talented the running back and wide receiver positions groups have been, the news couldn’t be more welcome.

O’Leary has also done a fantastic job with the safeties group and, if not for some unfortunate health last year, would’ve sent back-to-back first-round picks in the NFL draft. Brandon Joseph has that much potential as a safety, and while it didn’t shine as brightly as a member of Notre Dame football, he has a bright future.

With Chansi Stuckey recruiting at an unprecedented rate for the wide receiver group, his staying is the biggest win out of the assistant coaches group. Stuckey landed a quartet of great receivers in the class of 2023 and has Cam Williams lined up in 2024. While most recruiting sites have Williams as a borderline 5-star, there’s no doubt he’s one of the best in the nation at the position.

While you’d like to hope a recruit stays more for the school and head coach than the assistants, those bonds are essential. While we’ve heard rumors on who the new special teams coach will be, have faith in Marcus Freeman. He has yet to make a hire that hasn’t been utterly amazing in his short stint as Notre Dame football head coach.

Things can change quickly in the college football coaching landscape, but the staff seems set for the upcoming season. Now, it’s time to hit the recruiting trail harder than ever.