The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are set to replace offensive coordinator Gerad Parker, who took the head coaching job with the Troy Trojans, with former LSU Tigers offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, according to ESPN.
Denbrock was a former assistant coach at Notre Dame, and will be returning to South Bend for the 2024 season. This will mark Denbrock’s third stint with the Fighting Irish. He was initially the OT/TE coach from 2002-2004 before filling a multitude of positions from 2010-2016.
Denbrock was even the offensive coordinator for Notre Dame in 2014. He took the same role with the Cincinnati Bearcats as well as the LSU Tigers before deciding to return to Notre Dame.
Denbrock is seen as a big hire for head coach Marcus Freeman. This is especially true when considering the fact that Denbrock is remaining an offensive coordinator in what is considered a lateral move.
Marcus Freeman continues to swing big and connect big
– Need a QB? Snags Sam Hartman
– Need a QB again? Gets Riley Leonard
– Need an OC? Hires Mike Denbrock— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) December 22, 2023
BREAKING: LSU OC, Mike Denbrock, has accepted Marcus Freeman’s offer to be Notre Dame’s next OC.
Denbrock orchestrated the nation’s #1 offense this year for Brian Kelly and LSU. Unbelievably huge get for Freeman to pry him away from Kelly and LSU
— College Football Watcher (@CFBWatcher) December 22, 2023
Mike Denbrock to Notre Dame is a HOMERUN hire.
If Freeman can retain Al Golden and the rest of the staff, this team will be looking the best it’s been in years in 2024.
Scary Hours III
— Notre Dame Prime (@NotreDame_Prime) December 22, 2023
The Fighting Irish were 29th in total offense this season. A team with a defense that is much more formidable than the LSU Tigers could benefit greatly from a first-ranked offense. If Denbrock is able to make the Irish half as good as LSU was this year, they will glide into the 12-team College Football Playoff.
New Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock produced NFL talent in his previous stints with the Fighting Irish
In Denbrock’s previous stints with the Fighting Irish, he was responsible for the production of multiple high-level NFL players. Under former Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, Denbrock played a large part in the development of NFL tight ends Kyle Rudolph and Tyler Eifert.
Eifert went on to become a finalist for the Mackey Award, which is given to the nation’s best tight end. He ended up a first-round draft pick for the Cincinnati Bengals. His career started strong, but was derailed by injuries.
Another Denbrock tight end product, Kyle Rudolph, carved out a more sustained NFL career despite not being as highly touted as Eifert. Rudolph played in the NFL for over a decade, and made two pro bowls in that time.
Rudolph was initially a second-round pick for the Minnesota Vikings. He announced recently that he would be retiring with the team that drafted him.
IrishEnvy reminisces about what Denbrock said when coming back to Notre Dame the first time
“It’s hard to put into words how grateful I am for an opportunity to come back and be part of this University. My wife Dianne and I feel very blessed to have this opportunity. We loved our time when we were here before and to get a second opportunity to come back to such a great place is a dream come true…”
New Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock is coming off of a historical season with the LSU Tigers
Denbrock led the way for the nations No. 1 ranked offense this season. The signal-caller for that offense happened to be Heisman winner Jayden Daniels.
Daniels was an Arizona State-transfer QB that was in his first and only year with the LSU Tigers. In that short time, Denbrock turned Daniels into one of the best players in the nation.
Denbrock’s offense wasn’t only first in points per game, but it was first in yards per game as well. On top of a historic quarterback season, Denbrock allowed wide receiver Malik Nabers to have a historic season as well.
Nabers led the nation in receiving yards this year with 1,546, and was second in the nation in receiving touchdowns with 14. Nabers is the nation’s best big-play receiver as he led the nation in plays of 20-plus yards and 30-plus yards.
Denbrock pushed Nabers to become LSU’s all-time leader in receptions with 186. Nabers holds this record over top-tier NFL receivers like Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase.
Denbrock also helped a Cincinnati Bearcats team become the first Group-of-Five team to reach the College Football Playoff. The Fighting Irish won’t even have to win a conference game to sneak into the 12-team College Football Playoff, which is a much smaller mountain to climb.
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