5 Reasons P.J. Fleck Should be the Next Notre Dame Head Coach

The Fountain of Youth

Let’s look more at recent Notre Dame hires. Charlie Weis was approaching 50 when he was hired. Willingham was also 49 years old as he started his forgettable tenure. They originally hired a 55-year-old George O’Leary before Willingham. How old was Brian Kelly when he signed on? You guessed it… 49.

In general, for one reason or another, youth has been the defining factor of success. Sure, Lou Holtz and Dan Devine were in that same age bracket as recent coaches. But despite having loaded teams, they only one one national championship apiece. There are three great Notre Dame coaches that won multiple national championships at the school. Knute Rockne was 30 when he took over in South Bend. Frank Leahy was 33. Ara Parseghian was all of 41 years old his first season with the Irish.

If Notre Dame were to hire him in December, Fleck would be 36 years old in his first season at the school. He falls right in that window of opportunity to capitalize on his prime coaching years. Too often the Fighting Irish look for the big name that is already approaching his sell-by date. Perhaps it is time to remember that young men were at the heart of the Notre Dame legacy.