It appears as though Brian Kelly is about to add one of the brightest young coaching minds in the game to his Notre Dame staff.
In a move first reported by 247Sports.com, and subsequently confirmed by FOXSports.com‘s Bruce Feldman, Kelly is set to add Boise State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford. Sanford would serve in the same two capacities with the Irish.
Kelly has two openings on his staff after quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur left for a job with the Atlanta Falcons and running backs coach left for the same job at Ohio State. Mike Denbrock, who reportedly turned down the Central Michigan head-coaching job, just completed his first season as the Irish’s coordinator. Denbrock also serves as the Irish’s wide receivers coach, a role that he’s expected to maintain moving forward.
In mid-August, it was revealed that Denbrock was battling prostate cancer. He missed a couple of weeks of summer camp, but returned returned to his duties for the 2014 season.
The 33-year-old Sanford played his college football at Boise State and returned as his alma mater’s coordinator for the 2014 season. Prior to that, he spent three years as an assistant at Stanford.
Sanford, who was a candidate for the coordinator vacancy at Ohio State, is the son of Mike Sanford Sr., the former UNLV and current Indiana State head coach.