Most coaches are mercenaries
by Buck Turgidson (2018-01-10 16:56:55)

In reply to: Logically, which is more likely?  posted by El Kabong


They are going to go wherever they think the situation is most advantageous to themselves and their career. The marketplace sees the 2017 staff as a group that turned around a terrible 2016 team and won 10 games. Their market value is never going to be higher. That's especially true if Notre Dame reverts to its Kelly-era mean (or below it) next season.

That's why it always comes down to the head coach. The idea that "with the right staff coach XYZ can be good" ignores the fact that it is the head coach, and only the head coach, who can bring stability to a program.

The head coach needs to build the program to the point where being an assistant there is the pinnacle of success. Where assistants are confident that if they are a part of the staff they will share in the program's success. Outside of personality conflicts or underperformance, position coach's only motivation to leave is to get a coordinator job. Coordinators only motivation to leave is to be a head coach. The head coach still has staff turnover, but it is he, not the assistants, who make the team.

Notre Dame and Brian Kelly aren't there. When you have to pray for the perfect set of assistant coaches to fall in your lap, you have the wrong guy steering the ship.