Notre Dame Football: What New Irish OC Mike Sanford Brings to Irish Offense

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In the immediate aftermath of national signing day—barely 48 hours removed—Notre Dame football head coach Brian Kelly needed to replace a running backs coach/recruiting coordinator, a defensive backs coach and a quarterbacks coach.

So it came as some surprise when Kelly eschewed his historical norms and made his marquee hiring at a position, in part, already filled: offensive coordinator.

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Kelly hired former Boise State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford to the same position at Notre Dame, with current Irish offensive coordinator and longtime Kelly aide Mike Denbrock taking the title of associate head football coach.

So what exactly was it about Sanford that prompted Kelly and Denbrock to shuffle offensive responsibilities heading into 2015?

“Mike Denbrock and I had a long conversation about this,” Kelly said. “We agreed at the end that what we were looking for was somebody that could turn the room upside down. We didn't want somebody to be equal.”

At 32 years old, Sanford already boasts a healthy resume. Sanford spent three seasons at Stanford, coaching running backs, quarterbacks and wide receivers, while also serving as the recruiting coordinator in 2012 and 2013. Back at his alma mater in Boise in 2014, Sanford helped lead the Broncos to a 12-2 record, a Mountain West championship and a Fiesta Bowl victory over Arizona.

“We were looking at bringing in the best and the brightest, we looked all over the country for that person that would fit into what we wanted to do offensively, coach the quarterback, somebody that could come in and coordinate the run and pass game together,” Kelly said. “Mike Sanford was clearly a cut above everybody that we looked at.”

Sanford’s Boise State offense ranked 14th in the country in total offense with 494.3 yards per game and ninth in scoring offense with 39.7 points per game. Boise State dialed up rushing plays 56.05 percent of the time in 2014, which slotted the Broncos 40th among the nation’s most rush-happy offenses, per TeamRankings.com. By comparison, Notre Dame rushed 49.64 percent of the time, 85th in the country.

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Sanford said he possesses a pretty “diverse” background offensively, having learned in a variety of offensive schemes.

“The biggest thing that I’ve found is that obviously championship football, a lot of times it comes down to who runs the football the best and then who makes the explosive plays down the field in the throwing game,” Sanford said.

It’s still too early to determine just what shape Notre Dame’s offense will take. Sure, the Irish pounded the rock to the tune of 51 rushes for 263 yards and three touchdowns against LSU in the Music City Bowl. We’ve explored Kelly’s past and pondered whether the Irish should run more in 2015.

Of course, any question about Notre Dame’s offensive identity begins and ends with the quarterback position. As Everett Golson went in 2014, the Irish went. And as Golson struggled, the Irish struggled. Upon introducing the new-look coaching staff, Kelly said Sanford’s No. 1 job is to develop the quarterbacks, a sentiment Sanford has shared in recent years.

“Sometimes if you get too big-picture in your thinking, a lot of times you forget about the most important thing and that’s the premier position in all of sport—the quarterback,” Sanford said. “You gotta develop that position first and foremost.”

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

In looking at Notre Dame’s current crop of quarterbacks and analyzing nearly all of the film from the 2014 season, Sanford said he sees impressive physical tools and “unlimited potential.”

But in the all-important realm of player development, Sanford said his focus this spring will be building the quarterbacks from the ground up, starting with their footwork. How quickly and how much the signal-callers progress should go a long way in determining Notre Dame’s offensive success in 2015.

“He's certainly taking over a position where there will be a lot of scrutiny,” Kelly said. “Whether it was this year or any other year, there's a great amount of scrutiny on the quarterback position.

“Mike understands that. He welcomes that challenge.”

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Mike Monaco is a lead Notre Dame writer for Bleacher Report. Follow @MikeMonaco_ on Twitter.