Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly moved swiftly to fill the void at defensive coordinator, naming linebackers coach Clark Lea as the man to replace the departed Mike Elko.
Despite considering outside candidates, Kelly viewed Lea as the best option to keep the defense moving in the right direction.
“Clark has quickly established himself as a rising star in the coaching profession,” Kelly said. “He immediately commands the respect of those around him, whether that be in a meeting room, on a practice field or in a prospective student-athlete’s living room. Clark has demonstrated an ability to motivate, lead, teach and mentor through a positive teaching environment, while also developing the necessary traits of excellence in our players.
“Clark has an incredible football knowledge, a keen understanding of personnel and a fierce work ethic, which leaves no doubt in my mind that we’ll maintain the defensive standard necessary to win at the highest level.”
Lea came to Notre Dame following the 2016 season, where he worked with Elko at Wake Forest. The Nashville, Tenn., native quickly earned a reputation as a top-notch teacher, communicator and recruiter.
On the recruiting trail, Notre Dame is the only team in the country with three Rivals250 linebackers in its 2018 recruiting class, and Lea played a major role in making that happen.
This will be Lea’s first job as a defensive coordinator, but the 36-year-old has a strong reputation for his football knowledge, ability to relate to players and his recruiting prowess.
“I cannot express how grateful I am to Father Jenkins, Jack Swarbrick and Brian Kelly for their confidence in my ability to take on this new role,” Lea said in a release. “I am indebted to them, and to the student-athletes that I have been blessed to work with over the past year — without their commitment and belief in me, I realize that none of this would be possible.
“Notre Dame represents everything I want to be a part of in my career as an educator, and I am deeply humbled to be able to continue my work here.”
Lea came to Notre Dame with Elko following the 2016 season. In his first season at Wake Forest, his senior linebacker Marquel Lee went from 71 tackles and 10 tackles for loss the year prior to Lea’s arrival to 105 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in one season under Lea.
In his first season at Notre Dame, Lea helped oversee the rise of junior linebacker Te’von Coney and senior rover Drue Tranquill. Coney went from 61 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in 2016 to 116 tackles and 13 tackles for loss in his first season under Lea. Tranquill was arguably the team’s top defender, finishing his first season near the line of scrimmage with 85 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries.
In addition, senior Mike linebacker Nyles Morgan added 92 tackles and seven stops behind the line of scrimmage, and fellow senior linebacker Greer Martini added 75 tackles as part of a three-man rotation on the inside.
Lea has been a Football Bowl Subdivision coach for 12 years, with stints at Bowling Green, Syracuse, Wake Forest and UCLA. He was a finalist for Linebackers Coach of the Year by FootballScoop.com as the linebackers coach at Bowling Green.
He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University (2004), where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. Lea was a two-time All-SEC Academic selection. He earned a master’s degree in political science from Vanderbilt in 2007.
Lea is married (Allison), and the couple has three children: Clark III, Mara and Jack.
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