This Guy Coaches Notre Dame Football: Terry Joseph, Defensive Backs

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster full of players and coaches, and we want to talk about them all. One Foot Down’s player profile series will take a look at every single one of them, and hopefully we all learn a little bit more about these guys, and Notre Dame’s chances for the upcoming 2020 season.

Terry Joseph

It’s all about the Irish coaches this week for One Foot Down’s profile series. Today, the spotlight is on Terry Joseph, Notre Dame’s defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator. Joseph joined the gold and blue in 2018 to coach Irish safeties following Mike Elko’s departure.

Joseph previously served as an assistant football coach for Tennessee, Nebraska, Texas A&M and North Carolina. Notably, as an Aggies coach in 2015, Joseph brought the strategy behind Brandon Williams’s switch from running back to cornerback. Williams later became a third-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Most recently on the recruiting front, Joseph was, in part, behind the commitment of cornerback Ryan Barnes. The Maryland native had received scholarship offers from CFB powerhouses across the country such as Georgia, LSU and Michigan. Barnes has been vocal about appreciating Joseph’s transparency and directness during his recruitment.

Spirit Animal

Leslie Knope

When Leslie Knope is given a project, you can absolutely expect results. Joseph’s work ethic and attention to every KNOPE detail helped change Notre Dame’s safety room from a liability to reliability.

Photo by: Colleen Hayes/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

2020 Outlook

Another season, another class of team leaders gone. His leadership will be critical to watch following the departure of Jalen Elliott and Alohi Gilman, for example. The return of Kyle Hamilton will make this transition much more smoother than it has been in past years. How Joseph handles Hamilton’s eventual partner back there — Isaiah Pryor or Houston Griffith — will really help determine how effective this unit can be overall (because you know Sweet Baby Kyle is going to nail it).

As Notre Dame’s pass game coordinator, Jospeh will be tasked to help develop the correct strategies and game in conjunction with Clark Lea and Mike Mickens. With several several top opposing quarterbacks on the schedule this year, Terry has a tremendous responsibility here to help Notre Dame win football games.

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