After a couple of months of churn, Brian Kelly‘s Notre Dame football coaching staff is whole again.
Earlier this month, it was reported that John McNulty was set to take over as the Fighting Irish’s tight ends coach. Monday evening, Notre Dame football confirmed McNulty’s addition to Kelly’s staff. Additionally, Mike Mickens was announced as cornerbacks coach as well.
McNulty will replace Chip Long, the position coach who was relieved of his offensive coordinating duties last December. Mickens takes over for Todd Lyght, who left Notre Dame football staff in early January in order to be closer to his family on the West Coast.
“John and Mike bring a wealth of experience to our football program as players, coaches and educators,” the Notre Dame football head coach said in a statement. “John’s decades of experience at the college and pro level will add to our offensive staff. Mike has shown an incredible ability to get the most out of his players and I am excited to add him to our staff. Both are the perfect additions to help us continue graduating champions.”
McNulty, who played his college football at Penn State, will be entering his 30th season in the coaching profession. Twice he was the offensive coordinator at Rutgers, first in 2006 and then again in 2018. This past season, he served as an analyst at his alma mater.
In between his two RU stints, he was an NFL assistant coach for nine seasons. In one of those jobs, with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, he was the tight ends coach. That was the first time he had worked with the position in his nearly three decades as a coach.
Mickens was the cornerbacks coach at Cincinnati the past two seasons. He also played his college football with the Bearcats. His head coach those last two seasons at UC? Kelly, of course.