SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Mike Denbrock, a 36-year coaching veteran and most recently the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at LSU, is returning to the University of Notre Dame football program as the John and Bobbie Arlotta Family Offensive Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach. It will mark the beginning of a third stint for Denbrock at Notre Dame, who served as the offensive tackles/tight ends coach from 2002-04, then coached the Irish tight ends and wide receivers, while also serving as passing game coordinator, offensive coordinator and associate head coach from 2010-16. The hiring will be effective at the conclusion of the University’s standard employment process.
“First and foremost, Mike is an elite coach across the board,” said Dick Corbett Head Football Coach Marcus Freeman. “He is a great leader, recruiter and developer, but what I love the most is his competitive spirit.
Mike not only has a lot of experience, but he has achieved a high level of success at multiple places. He has the ability to mold his offense to utilize his playmakers, while putting defenses in conflict. I want to thank Jack Swarbrick and our leadership for consistently providing us the resources to ensure we can attract the best coaches and staff to join our program.”
Denbrock and Freeman have a shared coaching history, as both played a key role in Cincinnati’s surge to a New Year’s Day bowl in 2020, before Freeman transitioned to Notre Dame as defensive coordinator and eventually head coach. Denbrock remained with the Bearcats and helped the program earn its first and only College Football Playoff appearance in 2021. The move also reunites Denbrock with Bob and Leslie Mohr Family Quarterbacks Coach Gino Guidugli, cornerbacks coach and defensive pass game coordinator Mike Mickens and wide receivers coach Mike Brown, who also coached together at Cincinnati.
Denbrock has led several of the nation’s top offenses since assuming full offensive coordinator duties seven seasons ago at Cincinnati, then following up with two outstanding offensive campaigns at LSU. The 2023 LSU team led the nation in total offense, while Denbrock’s 2020 Cincinnati group ranked 24th and his 2018 edition was 23rd. While the statistics are impressive, perhaps it is the win-loss record for teams with an offense coordinated by Denbrock over the past six seasons that tells the true story. Since 2018, teams powered by a Denbrock-coordinated offense have compiled a 63-13…