In the past two weeks or so, these things have happened:
Brian Kelly now has to replace both coordinators and his top 2 QBs after going 4-8
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- Notre Dame lost to rival USC, 45-27, to finish 4-8, about a month after head coach Brian Kelly expressed displeasure with his athletic director publicly promising stability.
- Backup QB Malik Zaire, who flashed promise for three years, announced his transfer, with multiple Power 5 teams reportedly interested.
- Starting QB DeShone Kizer declared for the NFL draft. While not a surprise, since he’s likely a first-rounder, that does mean the 2017 starting job will go to someone with no more than five career throws.
- Offensive coordinator Mike Sanford, a widely respected coach, is reportedly taking Western Kentucky’s head coaching job. Notre Dame was already in the process of replacing DC Brian VanGorder, who was fired midseason.
That’s kind of a lot, especially for a team in such a high-pressure setting. However, there are more reasons for hope than it might seem.
- Notre Dame was far better than its (deeply amusing) record suggests, losing only one game by more than a single score. The Irish ranked No. 25 in S&P+, No. 51 in SRS, and No. 56 in Sagarin ratings, and while fans don’t have any reason to celebrate computer rankings, there’s still a sign that this season could’ve gone much differently.
- That QB who’s thrown five career passes is rising redshirt sophomore Brandon Wimbush, a former four-star profiled here as a recruit. No QB is a guarantee, not even a blue-chip, but that’s about as good a fresh start as you can hope for. His teammates vouch for him. Kizer was solid overall, ranking No. 26 in passer rating against FBS teams after ranking No. 19 a year earlier, but didn’t offer irreplaceable production.
- We’ll see where Kelly turns to replace Sanford, but the defensive coordinator search could land on Wake Forest’s Mike Elko, whose recent defenses have greatly overachieved, ranking No. 28 in S&P+ this year.
Fresh starts can be good. They’re rarely good in and of themselves. And fans can talk themselves into anything over the course of a long offseason. Still, a team that’s recruited this well and only loses a handful of starters on either side should be able to bounce back, with two good hires and a plan at QB.
(Whether it bounces back enough for Kelly and the Irish to stick together through 2017 might be another story.)
Elsewhere!
Emails from Oregon fans just before the program’s first coaching search in 40 years, including one guy who’s blaming the whole thing on state marijuana laws.
I’m upset by Lane Kiffin and Nick Saban parting and collected their greatest moments together.
Kiffin to FAU means every FBS school in Florida has a big-name head coach. Sure, I’m counting potential future Nebraska head coach Scott Frost and two-time SEC East champ Jim McElwain as big names.
Was the Big 12’s 2016 one of the 10 worst power conference seasons of the last 20 years? Why, yes it was!
Commit of the day: a top JUCO WR to Oklahoma, and the Sooners look likely to finish with a top-10 class.
LSU recruiting’s gotten a couple of rough headlines lately, but it’s still a top-five class at the moment.
Also, Houston says it offered Texas a discount on Tom Herman in exchange for a scheduling deal, which didn’t pan out.
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