THE HIRING OF CLARK LEA

When Mike Elko left Notre Dame days after the Citrus Bowl victory over LSU, the football decision-makers/athletic administration was faced with a dilemma. Spend a fortune on another established, top-notch defensive coordinator to build upon a second 10-victory season in three years or gamble with a young coach with a limited background coordinating defenses, at least in name and title.

Brian Kelly, with the support of Jack Swarbrick, chose Lea, the well-respected linebackers coach who in reality helped Elko develop his defensive philosophy at three coaching stops. That’s why Elko brought Lea with him from Wake Forest, in addition to his ability to teach, lead and gain the respect of his players.

Not only has Lea been good, the Notre Dame defense has been even stingier than Elko’s unit in ’17. The Irish have given up more than 17 points in just four of 12 games. The last time 27 points (Wake Forest) was the most points allowed in a game over the course of a season was 1989, when the Irish extended their winning streak to 23 games.

Notre Dame is tied for second in yards per pass attempt (5.4), eighth in yards per snap (4.53), 11th in scoring defense (17.3) and 22nd in total defense (331.5).

Clark Lea was the right hire.