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Post being replied to

Their credentials as ND assistants are similar by Kayo

Both worked for Muffet McGraw for 8 years. Both coached on a national championship staff. Both have been head coaches with some decent success. Both played at ND. Not a lot of difference in terms of legacy.

Other possible decision factors (all speculative):

- Washington coached Ivey in college. Niele might have been thinking of reuniting whenever and wherever her first head coaching job happened.

- Cohesiveness: I have no insight into the relationships among the coaches. From the outside, the staff always appeared to be cohesive. However, Washington and Carol Owens have worked together before; so Ivey isn't exactly wading into uncharted waters. She might believe this will be a better functioning team.

- Complementary skills: Ivey was a good offset to McGraw when they worked together. Muffet could be the caustic critic while Niele would be the shoulder to cry on. I don't know the individual personalities well, but it could be that Washington will be the complementary personality to Ivey better than Cunningham will.

- Economics: Brey mentioned strained budgets because of the shutdowns in his recent press conference. It's conceivable that Ivey preferred Washington as a replacement for Mabrey but had to make a different choice because of the budget.