The news broke suddenly and spread very quickly. Notre Dame will have a coaching staff change in 2015.
Confirmed: Defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks expected to leave #NotreDame for #Oklahoma http://t.co/UxaEs8F27W via @NotreDame247 (FREE)
— Tom Loy (@TomLoy247) February 1, 2015
Perhaps it should have been expected that the staff would get jumbled up a bit, but having it happen right before National Signing Day makes it a little more panicky for everyone involved. Some may say that this move is a “lateral” one, but there is nothing “lateral” about the increase in pay that is more than likely in store for Cooks.
Another move involved one of the Grad Assistant positions:
Irish Illustrated has learned GA Kyle McCarthy has left ND for a sports agency, with Maurice Crum to fill the GA position.
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) February 2, 2015
So what now? Well, there have been some names already mentioned as possible replacements for Cooks. Todd Lyght, Jeff Burris, and Willie Martinez are a few of those names. Another scenario might involve moving Scott Booker over to the defensive backs as he has playing experience and coaching experience there. That might allow Brian Kelly to finally hire Jeff Quinn to coach tight ends. Perhaps that would bring about a change to who coaches the special teams as well.
At any rate, I wouldn’t expect any type of decision to be announced anytime soon. This is Notre Dame after all, and these moves are never made with much speed. What’s important, is that whenever a coaching staff has attrition, the spot left opened doesn’t just get filled with a capable body, but with a better one. Can Brian Kelly and Notre Dame do better than Kerry Cooks?
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