Andy Ludwig turns down Notre Dame football, what’s next?
It seemed like Notre Dame football was closing in on a new offensive coordinator but Andy Ludwig has decided to stay at Utah.
Monday was a good day for Utah football fans and a not-so-great day for fans of Notre Dame football as the Fighting Irish whiffed on another offensive coordinator candidate.
According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Ludwig, who interviewed with Notre Dame football over the weekend for its open offensive coordinator job, is staying with the Utes.
For the defending Pac-12 champions, it’s huge. Some are saying that Ludwig’s $2.8 million buyout played a role in him not leaving for Notre Dame football. Yet, you have to believe Notre Dame knew what it would take to land him when they brought him to South Bend for an interview.
Sources: Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig is staying at Utah. His buyout proved an obstacle in discussions with Notre Dame.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 14, 2023
If Notre Dame football didn’t make this move because of the buyout, that’s a really bad look. If you want to compete with the big boys, you need to be ready to pony up and according to this excerpt from 247 sports, Ludwig would have been a huge addition:
"“Ludwig is vital to Utah’s success over the past four seasons. The Utes averaged 466.9 yards of total offense and 38.6 points per game building on their 2021 numbers of 36.1 points per game and 431.1 yards of total offense. Going back to 2019, Ludwig maximized a veteran laden offense led by Tyler Huntley and Zack Moss, both turned in their best and most productive seasons of their careers.”"
With Sam Hartman coming to Notre Dame from Wake Forest, this would have been a huge get for Notre Dame, which is looking to get back to the playoff. Yet, it’s huge for Utah which now gets Ludwig and star quarterback Cameron Rising back for the 2023 season.
What’s next for Notre Dame football?
The Irish have now whiffed on a couple of offensive coordinator candidates. Byron Leftwich is interested in the job and I said when this search stated that Notre Dame should give Charlie Weis Jr. a call after what he’s done with Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss.
Current tight ends coach Gerad Parker was the offensive coordinator at West Virginia in 2020 and he could be an option too.
Next. 3 OC candidates for Notre Dame football. dark
Regardless, Notre Dame needs to make a hire soon and in terms of making a big splash, that opportunity might have come and gone when the Irish failed to land Ludwig, who would have been a home-run hire.