Latest on Notre Dame Coaching Rumors and Golden Tate’s NFL Decision

Here is a quick rundown of the latest news involving the Notre Dame coaching search rumors, plus the impending decision that star WR Golden Tate will have to make concerning his future:

From the NY Times story on the current Notre Dame coaching rumors and candidates:

Notre Dame’s firing of Charlie Weis on Monday afternoon continued to fuel what was already the hottest question in college sports: Who will be the next coach to attempt to revive the Fighting Irish?

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Swarbrick said in a news conference that he would be looking for a candidate who had “demonstrated an ability to build and sustain a Division I college football program.”

His choices have already narrowed, as several high-profile coaches have said that they are not interested in the job. The leading remaining candidates include Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh, Texas Christian’s Gary Patterson,Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson and Temple’s Al Golden.

Much of the focus will be on Kelly, an Irish Catholic who has not denied his interest in the job. In a text message on Monday night, Kelly declined to comment.

Patterson said in a telephone interview that neither he nor his agent had been contacted by Notre Dame, but he called the university’s rich football history “intriguing.”

“I’d have to know the ins and outs,” Patterson said. “Just like anywhere, I’ve always listened.”

I would not say that I’ve followed Brian Kelly’s tenure at Cincinnati closely, but just watching what he has built from a peripheral perspective has been impressive. More than any of the other candidates, with the exception possibly being Ferentz, you would think that Kelly would have the most experience and inroads with Notre Dame’s already established Midwest recruiting base.

Living down here in Dallas, however, I can tell you that the people here — who are pretty football crazy 24/7/365 — think that Gary Patterson walks on water. Seeing what he has built at TCU, where his recruiting consists of the scraps left over by Texas, Oklahoma, and other Big 12 schools, is equally as impressive to what Kelly has done at Cincinnati.

For what my opinion is worth, I think these two guys would be the best candidates from those mentioned in the NY Times article. I feel that Kirk Ferentz has been a bit too up and down at Iowa to satisfy the tastes of the Irish faithful.

From Chicago Breaking News on Golden Tate’s impending stay-or-go decision:

Tate barely had digested Weis’ official dismissal today when the NFL questions came again, and not shockingly, the next Notre Dame coach will be a factor in his choice. 

“It’s going to make a difference — I don’t know which way it’ll make a difference,” he said. “It could make a good difference or a bad difference. I guess Friday, that’s when I’ll have a better understanding of that.”

This, to me, will be one of the pivotal decisions for the 2010 NFL Draft. I watched a lot of Notre Dame games this season and I can’t remember one during which Tate did not make me say WOW at least once.

While he is slightly undersized, Tate has a Steve Smith-like ability to play taller than his height because of incredible timing and leaping ability. He attacks the ball at its zenith and has knack for coming down with spectacular, highlight-reel catches.

It was also quite obvious that Jimmy Clausen would always look Tate’s way in clutch situations — perhaps even to a fault sometimes — because Tate always found a way to get separation when his quarterback needed it. And even without separation Tate found a way to get his hands on the ball.

If this guy is not a first round draft pick, I will be very, very surprised. Think about how perfect a fit he would with the Bears. Chicago may pick too high to take him, all depending on how things shake out, but he would be a perfect complement to Devin Hester. Plus, there are tons of ND fans in Chicago to get excited about such a pick.

And no, Irish fans, I would not expect him to return. His coach his gone and his QB is gone, plus he will probably be projected as a first day pick (at a minimum); why would he stay?

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* – Golden Tate photo credit: Getty Images via NY Post

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