Notre Dame Has Upgraded Its Offensive Staff In A Big Way
Notre Dame has yet to name a replacement for Lance Taylor at running back, but despite how good Taylor was coaching his position there is no doubt that the program significantly upgraded its offensive coaching staff.
Notre Dame made the hires of offensive line coach Harry Hiestand and wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey official yesterday, and a move that won't be announced is the return of Chris Watt to the staff in an off-field role.
Those three hires signify a major coaching improvement at two very important offensive positions. Two areas that held the program back in 2021, and two areas that proved problematic in the Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma State, will have stronger coaches next season.
Hiestand has a proven track record as a college offensive line coach, and his last stint at Notre Dame (2012-17) was nothing short of remarkable. The veteran line coach is known for emphasizing technique and toughness, two areas the line struggled mightily in three of the previous four seasons. The one exception - 2020 - was fueled by a group of veterans that were recruited by Hiestand, trained in the offseason by Hiestand, and had Watt on staff as a graduate assistant to help instill some of the toughness and technique the line lacked in 2018, 2019 and again this past season.
Getting Hiestand back and adding Watt to the staff combines with the return of a young but talented group of linemen that gives Notre Dame a chance to see a major boost in play from the offensive line. Notre Dame finished the 2021 season with a 35.2 points per game average, which was the second best scoring mark of Brian Kelly's 12 years in charge of the program, and they did that with a line that largely struggled throughout the season.
Notre Dame had impressive talent at wide receiver this past season but we never saw that group play close to its potential. The unit often struggled with some of the basics of wide receiver play, things like getting off press coverage, attacking leverage, stacking defensive backs and their top ends were average at best. The only exception to some of that was Avery Davis, a converted quarterback.
Stuckey is still largely unproven, at least compared to other coaches that were considered, but watching his Baylor wideouts in 2021 tells me he'll be an upgrade at the position. From talking to sources and from watching the Baylor film I believe this will be a significant upgrade for the wideouts when it comes to being taught the finer points of wide receiver play.
We don't yet know who will replace Taylor, but the names I've heard as potential candidates are all at least solid coaches.
Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees also enters his third full season in charge of the offense, and the 29-year old assistant is still in the stage in his career where you will continue to see jumps in effectiveness as he gains more and more experience.
Rees improved from year one to year two despite being handcuffed with a poor offensive line and a technically challenged group of receivers. With improved coaching at both positions and with very good talent returning to the depth chart there's a good chance that Rees could oversee an offensive that makes the jump in 2022 that it should have made in 2021 if the coaching had been better at those key positions.
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Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
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