Well… Brian Kelly found his new offensive line coach, and it’s not a name that’s going to excite a lot of people. Jeff Quinn, who has a long history with Kelly, was promoted from offensive analyst to fill the position vacated by Harry Hiestand. Notre Dame officially announced the hire via Twitter today.

Profiling Quinn

Quinn was Kelly’s offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for 20 years across three schools:

  • 1989-2003 at Grand Valley State
  • 2004-2006 at Central Michigan
  • 2007-2009 at Cincinnati

Kelly offered him the OC position at Notre Dame in 2010, but Quinn elected to take the Buffalo head job instead. He posted a 20-36 record at Buffalo in four-plus seasons before being dismissed, at which point Kelly brought him to Notre Dame as an analyst. He had also served as an assistant strength coach for the Irish over the last two seasons.

Quinn doesn’t have a reputation as a great recruiter, and reportedly can be a bit ornery. However, you could’ve said the same about Hiestand, so I’m not sure that merits automatic disqualification. As far as production, he did turn out four draft picks at Central Michigan, including first-rounder and six-time Pro Bowl selection Joe Staley. He also was instrumental in the development of 2017 All-Pro Jason Kelce at Cincinnati, although Kelce’s final season came under Don Mahoney on Butch Jones’s staff.

My reaction is decidedly meh on this hire. I’ll openly admit my disappointment, as I thought there were a number of other more inspired – and inspiring – choices out there. However, if you’re inclined to look for a silver lining here… After a lot of upheaval the last couple of offseasons, this is a guy Kelly knows well and who has been around the program and the other assistants for quite some time. If there’s a position coach who can afford to be a so-so recruiter, it’s the OL coach. Perhaps with all the other change Kelly placed a premium on stability and chemistry for this hire.

I’d also add that Kelly reportedly sought the input of current players, particularly impending fifth-year seniors Sam Mustipher and Alex Bars. I doubt they swayed the decision substantially, but there’s a good chance they were involved and maybe even supported this move. So there’s that (maybe).

The Other Candidates

The other finalists were reportedly Boston College OL coach Justin Frye, Wisconsin LB coach (and long-time OL coach) Bob Bostad, and Indianapolis Colts OL coach Joe Gilbert. I don’t know how close Kelly was to hiring any of them; the only guy who had any rumored buzz was Frye, but it was just rumor. Even so, Quinn would’ve been my fourth guess out of this group. Much of Kelly’s Notre Dame legacy rides on how this hire will work out, which I’m sure he’s aware of. It’s a very interesting move indeed.