After Tommy Rees left for Alabama last year, Marcus Freeman promoted tight ends coach Gerad Parker to offensive coordinator at Notre Dame. But he left to become the next head coach at Troy, leading the Fighting Irish to swing big and bring Mike Denbrock back to South Bend.
Denbrock spent the last two years at LSU, where he helped develop Jayden Daniels into a Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Now, he’s heading to Notre Dame, where he’ll work with dual-threat quarterback Riley Leonard. Leonard spent the last three years at Duke, but transferred following the departure of Mike Elko.
Although Leonard dealt with injuries during spring ball, he still developed a strong relationship with his new coordinator. With training camp on the horizon, Leonard is ready to hit the ground running.
“He’s a great guy,” Leonard said at the Manning Passing Academy held at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La. “We relate in a lot of the ways that we operate off the field. Great golfer. Likes to fish, be around the family. We have very similar values.
“He’s a great guy to get along with. He’s gonna push you on the field, but after, he’s gonna give you a hug and go watch film together. So it’s been good.”
What Riley Leonard, Mike Denbrock bring to Notre Dame
Leonard put himself on the map with a breakout season in 2022 when he threw for 2,967 yards and 20 touchdowns while adding 699 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. However, injury issues hindered his 2023 season after he suffered a high-ankle sprain against Notre Dame, and he appeared in seven total games.
Leonard also dealt with injuries during the spring. He underwent ankle surgery ahead of winter workouts and missed parts of spring practice after undergoing another procedure. However, he confirmed he has “no limitations” as he goes through the Manning Passing Academy, which bodes well for his chances to be a full go at Notre Dame.
Last year, Notre Dame had an up-and-down season on offense with Sam Hartman in at quarterback. The Fighting Irish averaged 432.2 yards of offense in 2023, but just 246.5 passing yards per game. By bringing in Denbrock, Freeman landed the architect of LSU’s top-ranked defense which averaged an FBS-leading 534.5 yards.
Once training camp starts, Leonard and Denbrock will put the finishing touches on the preparation for this season. Notre Dame will open the 2024 season against Texas A&M at Kyle Field, meaning Leonard will go against his former coach after Elko took over for Jimbo Fisher.
The Bengal Tiger’sShea Dixon contributed to this report.
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