Notre Dame football promotes Max Bullough to linebackers coach
Max Bullough spent the last year on Notre Dame football’s coaching staff in a role that closely resembled one given to a full-time assistant coach.
Bullough, technically serving as a graduate assistant, worked very closely with defensive coordinator Al Golden in leading the linebackers. Now, as expected, Bullough has been officially promoted to Notre Dame linebackers coach. The program announced the news on Tuesday.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman opted to elevate Bullough into an assistant coach role following the departure of safeties coach Chris O’Leary to the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers. Mike Mickens, previously cornerbacks coach and defensive pass game coordinator, will add safeties to his purview as defensive backs coach.
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Bullough, 32, came to Notre Dame last year after spending the three previous seasons as a graduate assistant at Alabama. He replaced James Laurinaitis, who left the Irish for the same job at Ohio State. Laurinaitis was also promoted to assistant coach for the Buckeyes earlier this year.
Bullough, a former three-year starting linebacker and one-year captain at Michigan State (2010-13), began his coaching career in 2019 as a graduate assistant for Freeman when he was Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator. Bullough played three seasons for the NFL’s Houston Texans (2014-16) and spent a few months in early 2018 with the Cleveland Browns.
In playing at Michigan State, Bullough followed the path of his grandfather Hank, and father, Shane. But he also has ties to Notre Dame on his mother’s side of the family. His grandfather Jim Morse played halfback at Notre Dame (1954-56), and his uncle Jamie Morse played cornerback for the Irish (1976-77).
“This is as close to coming home as it gets,” Max Bullough said last July. “Our parents’ house is three and a half hours north. I’m familiar with this area. This is home to me.”
Bullough made the leap from Alabama to Notre Dame last year knowing that he’d have an opportunity to be very hands-on with the Irish linebackers. Bullough even spent some time on the recruiting trail earlier this year in Golden’s place while the coordinator recovered from an offseason surgery.
“I want to maximize our linebackers’ potential this year,” Bullough said in July, “and I want them to leave here feeling like they got something from me that can help them moving forward whether it’s in life or football.”
Two of Notre Dame’s starting linebackers last season, JD Bertrand and Marist Liufau, received NFL Combine invitations for later this month, and they both participated in the Senior Bowl earlier this year. Bertrand finished the 2023 season as Notre Dame’s leading tackler for the third straight season with 76 tackles. He also tallied 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, five pass breakups, one forced fumble and seven quarterback hurries. Liufau recorded 44 tackles, including three sacks and six tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one recovered fumble, two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries.
Graduate senior linebacker Jack Kiser made the decision to return to Notre Dame this year for his sixth season. He totaled 62 tackles, one interception, 1.5 sacks, one pass breakup, one forced fumble and three quarterback hurries in 2023 despite playing significantly fewer defensive snaps (354) than Bertrand (647) and Liufau (595).
“And Max has done an amazing job, not just with Marist, but with all those guys,” Golden said in September. “Max Bullough has been freaking great.”
Bullough also spent time working on red-zone defense plans for Notre Dame last season. The Irish, who finished No. 7 in the FBS in scoring defense (15.9 points per game), were ranked No. 2 in red-zone defense last season in allowing points on only 70.6% of possessions that reached the end zone (14 touchdowns and 10 field goals on 34 trips).
Golden, the architect of that defense, signed a four-year extension to stay at Notre Dame this offseason.
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