Lance Taylor to be Notre Dame’s new running back coach

According to multiple outlets, Lance Taylor will be the new running backs coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Taylor was last seen coaching the Carolina Panthers in the NFL as their wide receivers coach, but a report came out 3 weeks ago that he would not be returning in 2019.

Taylor’s last gig in the college game was with the Stanford Cardinal where he is best known as a major influence in the rise of Christian McCaffrey. He was named the running back coach of the year in 2015 by FootballScoop.com.

He played his college ball for the Alabama Crimson Tide where he earned a scholarship after joining the team as a walk-on.

This is a slight surprise as early indications suggested that current running backs coach for the Indiana Hoosiers, Mike Hart, was perhaps the leading candidate for Notre Dame. Hart, a former running back for the Michigan Wolverines, was on the tip of every tongue during Notre Dame’s search — but Taylor apparently separated himself during the interview process.

He has big shoes to fill as a running back coach on the field following Autry Denson, but it’s his recruiting prowess that will most intrigue fans. Taylor is responsible for the recruitment of Cardinal players Bryce Love and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. The Irish were looking for an elite recruiter at this position, and it appears that Taylor is their answer.