Report: Notre Dame Rejected by Andy Ludwig, OC Will Remain with Utah After Interview

Notre Dame is still looking for an offensive coordinator after Tommy Rees left to join the Alabama Crimson Tide.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig told the Fighting Irish he will remain with the Pac-12 program despite interviewing with the traditional powerhouse. The ESPN report noted "Ludwig's buyout—of at least $2 million, the exact number depending on how the buyout impact is interpreted in the contract's rollover year—proved an obstacle in discussions with Notre Dame."

This is somewhat of a surprise considering ESPN's Heather Dinich reported Friday that Ludwig was the "leading candidate" for Notre Dame after he "impressed" head coach Marcus Freeman in an initial interview and flew to South Bend, Indiana, for an in-person meeting.

That Ludwig, who has stops with Utah, Oregon, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, San Diego State and Cal on his resume, is so experienced also figured to work in his favor since Dinich noted "Freeman is looking for a proven playcaller who can continue to run a pro-style offense and fit seamlessly with the current staff."

Yet he will remain with a Utah squad that will be looking for its third consecutive Pac-12 title during the 2023 campaign.

While Ludwig has been the Utes' OC the past four years, he also held the same position for the team from 2005-08. Utah went undefeated and won the Sugar Bowl over Alabama during the 2008 season when he was on staff.

As for Notre Dame, it is in this current position because Rees left his alma mater to join Nick Saban at Alabama. Rees previously coached with Northwestern and the San Diego Chargers before returning to the Fighting Irish as a quarterbacks coach in 2017.

Notre Dame promoted him to OC in 2020.

Whoever the Fighting Irish hires will be one of the coaches in charge of an expected quarterback competition between Tyler Buchner and Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman. The decision will be key in the program's efforts to bounce back from a solid but unspectacular 9-4 effort during the 2022 season.

Notre Dame's losses to College Football Playoff contenders in Ohio State and USC showed its ceiling, and inexplicable defeats to Marshall and Stanford showed the floor can still be relatively low compared to the established standard of excellence for the program throughout its history.

Ludwig will not be the OC tasked with helping reestablish the team as a CFP contender.