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Notre Dame lost offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to Alabama last week, and the Irish moved swiftly in trying to replace a key position on the coaching staff for second-year head coach Marcus Freeman.
Notre Dame hosted Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig in South Bend last weekend, which became the worst-kept secret in college football circles due to Ludwig, Freeman and offensive assistant Gerad Parker being seen at an Irish hockey game last Friday night. All signs pointed toward Ludwig joining the Notre Dame staff until contract talks broke down due to his buyout at Utah “becoming an obstacle.”
Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick responded to reports of the Irish being “unwilling” to pay Ludwig’s buyout in an email obtained by Inside ND Sports.
“During our discussion with a candidate for our offensive coordinator position, a national reporter accurately noted that the candidate’s buyout in his current contract was an “obstacle,” Swarbrick wrote. “Without seeking any clarification from us, some of the individuals who comment on Notre Dame football concluded that this meant that Notre Dame was unwilling to pay the buyout. That is not and never was the case.
“As a policy matter, we do not discuss the details of personnel matters but given the extraordinary reaction by you and others in this instance I am comfortable sharing that while, prior to this week, our discussions with candidates never reached the point where we extended a formal offer, we communicated clearly in each and every instance that any offer we made would include our funding of their buyout with their current institution.
“To the extent the buyout was an “obstacle” in the case of one candidate, that was true of a brief period of time only because of conflicting information that had been provided to us regarding the amount and mechanics of the buyout. However, it was an obstacle we knew could be quickly resolved,” he wrote.
Regardless of circumstance, Ludwig elected to remain at Utah. Notre Dame acted quickly and promoted Parker from tight ends coach to offensive coordinator this week.
After the external courting, the Rees replacement has come from within the program, making it an interesting storyline heading into year two of the Freeman era.
