Brian Kelly coy on who'll call Notre Dame's plays vs. Texas

Share

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly would only say he, offensive coordinator Mike Sanford and associate head coach Mike Denbrock will collaborate on playcalling duties when the Irish open the season Saturday under the lights against Texas.

When pressed on the question, Kelly did say he’ll have final veto power on play calls, but the sixth-year Irish coach wouldn’t go any farther than that explanation.

“All three of us are collaborating,” Kelly said. “… We’re all in unison as to how we want the game to unfold, so we are all going to be working off the same play sheet. We are going to all be working off the same openers. We are going to all be working off the same down and distance sheet.

[MORE: Leadership depth another reason for Notre Dame's 2015 optimism]

“So whether it's coming out of Mike or Mike or Brian's lips, is really immaterial as far as I'm concerned. All I know is that we've got great collaboration between the three of us.”

What is clear is Sanford, who’s in his first year serving as Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator, will be in the booth. He’ll be tasked with providing a wider view of an opposing defense while Kelly can focus on specifics.

Sanford is viewed as a rising star in the college coaching ranks, having quickly ascended by his early 30’s from a position coaching role on Stanford’s staff to a one-year stint at Boise State’s offensive coordinator, in which the Broncos beat Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl. But Kelly has only ceded playcalling duties to an assistant once before while at Notre Dame — former offensive coordinator Chuck Martin called the plays in 2013 — and Sanford is his first offensive coordinator with whom he hasn’t previously worked.

[NBC SHOP: Get your Notre Dame gear]

When Kelly announced Sanford’s hiring earlier this year, he said he hoped his new offensive coordinator could “turn the room upside down.” So far, Kelly said Sanford’s fresh take on his offense has been welcome.

“I think more than anything else, just the constant questioning of how we do things and why we do things,” Kelly said of Sanford’s impact. “I think it's just natural that sometimes you run a system of offense like I have for over 25 years, that you become accustomed to doing things a certain way.

“When you get the question of why do you do it that way, then you have to answer the question honestly, that kind of turns it upside down a little bit. And so it's been good. It's been refreshing, and we've been able to look at everything that we do through what's the best way to get this done. And so I think that's been a good piece.”

Contact Us