What about Byron Leftwich as Notre Dame football offensive coordinator?
Notre Dame football is searching for a new offensive coordinator and Byron Leftwich is one guy that wants the job. Would he be a good fit?
Recently, Notre Dame football lost one of its top assistants in offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to Nick Saban and Alabama.
It was sort of unexpected. Reese, the former Notre Dame starting quarterback, became a key cog in the operation under Brian Kelly and was a big on the recruiting trail helping land five-star quarterback CJ Carr.
At any rate, Notre Dame football needs a new offensive play-caller. We have broken some candidates the Irish should consider, as well as some that are going to be the most realistic.
Byron Leftwich didn’t make either list. However, he has been in contact with Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman about the job. It seems as though Leftwich was the person to initiate contact after he was fired by the Bucs.
Byron Leftwich reached out to Notre Dame about the OC position last week, per source. He and Marcus Freeman have stayed in contact as Leftwich remains a serious candidate for the job. @247Sports
— Grace Remington (@GraceRemiTV) February 6, 2023
Grace Remington of 247 sports reported that Leftwich reached out last week, citing a source and that he’s a serious candidate for the vacancy.
How would Bryon Leftwich fit with Notre Dame football?
Leftwich would be an interesting hire. He won a Super Bowl with the Bucs calling plays for Tom Brady and has been coaching NFL quarterbacks since 2017.
The former Marshall star, who was twice named the MAC’s Most Valuable Player, definitely knows a thing or two about the college game. However, he’s never coached it.
It’s one thing to be good at Xs and Os. But if you can’t recruit, it doesn’t really matter. Yet, my guess is that Leftwich, a former NFL starting quarterback and college star, would do really well on the recruiting trail.
Every high school quarterback recruit wants to get to the NFL. Leftwich would be able to sell kids on how to get there even more than Rees. He’s played in the league, coached in the league, and coached Tom Brady.
Under Leftwich, Tampa Bay had a top-2 passing offense in each of the past three seasons. The Bucs also ranked 29th or lower in rushing attempts in each of those three seasons.
I’d be concerned about that a little if I was Freeman. You need to have a commitment to running the football. Of course, college football is wide open, and having a pass-happy offense is never a bad thing, as long as there is balance.
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I’m sure the pass-happy nature in Tampa also had to do with Brady and the fact that the Bucs never had a marquee running back. Either way, if Notre Dame fans are looking for a splash hire, Leftwich might be it and he’s definitely interested in the job.