Notre Dame football nearing big additions to Marcus Freeman’s staff

Notre Dame football had to build the right staff around Marcus Freeman as he took over as head coach and they’ve now made some big hires. 

Brian Kelly’s exit from Notre Dame football put the Fighting Irish program in a brief whirlwind. Thankfully, the man they deemed the best candidate to take over for Kelly was already in the building as defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman was named the next head coach in South Bend.

In the aftermath of that, though, the question then became what Freeman would do with his staff and, frankly, how much of it Kelly would be able to poach. The first big domino fell in Notre Dame’s favor as Tommy Rees stayed on with the Irish as the offensive coordinator.

That still left Freeman and the program to fill the now-head coach’s old role and a few position coach roles as well. Now, it seems as if they’ve landed some potential gems with big hires on those fronts.

Notre Dame football close to landing Iowa State, Baylor coaches in key roles

As reported by John Brice of FootballScoop.com, Freeman the Irish are set to add Chansi Stuckey, a former Clemson wide receiver and Baylor coach, as their wide receivers coach. Meanwhile, they are closing in on a deal with Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock to fill the same role for Notre Dame.

Both hires would be tremendous gets for the Irish.

Iowa State has been a top-end defense in the Big 12 for several years, despite the recruiting deficit the Cyclones have often started from. Now getting Heacock to work with the talent the Irish can land should yield quality results.

As for Stuckey, he’s considered a rising star in the coaching ranks and landing in a high-profile role is what many see as his first big chance to prove himself.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.