Marcus Freeman still hasn't even found a replacement for Mike Mickens, and now Notre Dame is looking for a new linebackers coach. The departure of Al Washington was a surprise to the Fighting Irish, but when the NFL comes calling, it's hard for a coach to say no.
If there's a bright side to all the staff turnover the last two years, it's that Freeman is becoming an old hat in searching for replacements. He's already hired Charlie Partridge this winter to replace Washington on the defensive line when Max Bullough left for Michigan State so he's even gotten some practice this winter.
So, who will Notre Dame look at to replace Al Washington? Nothing's concrete yet, but there are some names that are starting to draw attention.
3 potential Notre Dame LB hires Marcus Freeman can make with Al Washington gone
Nick Lezynski
If the Irish decide to go the former player and staffer route, then they may need look no further than Vanderbilt's Nick Lezynski. He was a walk-on cornerback for Notre Dame from 2007-2011 and then returned to South Bend as a GA and spent four years as a coach. Lezynski is the co-defensive coordinator/linebackers at Vanderbilt and it might be hard to pull him away from Clark Lea, but it seems like he'd listen if his alma mater came calling.
Maurice Crum
Speaking of another former Notre Dame player who has been a successful coach, Maurice Crum played in South Bend from 2005-2008 where he started more than 40 consecutive games and was a team captain. He's now the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at SMU but might like to get out of the offense happy program for one that focuses on defense.
Ronnie Regula
Ronnie Regula is the least experienced of these three candidates, but also the one who would most likely listen intently if Notre Dame came calling. He was a defensive analyst for Marcus Freeman in 2022 and 2023 before taking a defensive assistant job with the Cincinnati Bengals and former Irish DC Al Golden. We mentioned Regula when Bullough left and he's still a possible candidate, though it would be a big promotion and the first time he's been an actual position coach if he were to come back to Notre Dame.