Notre Dame will again need to find an offensive coordinator after Gerad Parker took the head-coaching job at Troy on Monday. Parker spent the last two seasons on the Irish coaching staff, as the tight ends coach in 2022 and as the offensive coordinator in 2023.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported the Troy hire.
Aside from spending the latter half of the 2016 season as Purdue’s interim head coach, this will be Parker’s first head-coaching experience.
“Congratulations to Gerad as he takes on this great opportunity at Troy,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman wrote on Twitter. “I have had the chance to work closely with Gerad for a number of years and what stands out to me the most are his leadership skills and how tirelessly he works to get the most out of his players.”
The Irish will turn to quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli to lead the offense in the Sun Bowl vs. No. 19 Oregon State on Dec. 29. But from there, Freeman will need to fill out his coaching staf with an unexpected need for a second season in a row.
In February, Parker landed the job after Tommy Rees took the same role at Alabama, a late hire in the usual coaching carousel cycle. Notre Dame briefly courted Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein before turning its full attention, publicly, to Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig.
When those conversations fell through, the Irish opted for the internal promotion of Parker.
Given that process, logic suggests Notre Dame will look externally once again.
— Marcus Freeman (@Marcus_Freeman1) December 18, 2023
Freeman will need to move quicker this year or take on more of an offensive emphasis in his own recruiting. The Irish should not need to worry much about this week’s early signing period, beginning Wednesday, but the transfer market still moves quickly.
Notre Dame is strongly considering a third receiver in the transfer class, and it could look for an offensive lineman, as well. Those pursuits can certainly be handled by Freeman and Guidugli, but the uncertainty of the offensive look next season could give pause to any potential incoming transfers.