According to a report by ESPN’s Heather Dinich, Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig is the “leading candidate” for Notre Dame’s open offensive coordinator job.
The Irish’s offensive coordinator position is vacant because Nick Saban hired former Notre Dame OC Tommy Rees away from the Irish to become Alabama’s offensive coordinator.
Rees held the OC position in South Bend from 2020-2022. Under Rees’ leadership, Notre Dame made a College Football Playoff appearance and a Fiesta Bowl appearance.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was impressed by Ludwig on a Zoom interview and Ludwig made a visit to Notre Dame’s campus on Friday, according to Dinich.
“At 58, Ludwig’s decades of coaching experience were a major factor in the interview process, especially as Freeman, 37, enters his second season as a head coach,” Dinich wrote. “Ludwig hasn’t been offered the job or accepted it yet, but multiple sources have indicated it’s a strong possibility.”
Ludwig has seen success as Utah’s offensive coordinator. In his first stop with Utah from 2005-2008, he was the offensive coordinator in Utah’s 13-0 season that ended with a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama.
He returned as Utah’s OC in 2019 and the Utes’ offense has enjoyed success as of late.
In the last two seasons under Ludwig, Utah has had a top-15 offense, scoring 36.1 points per game in 2021 and 38.6 points per game in 2022. With Tyler Huntley and Cameron Rising at quarterback, Utah has embraced the passing game more under Ludwig. Utah’s offense is also know for its tight-end-heavy sets and being able to successfully run the football.