Report: Notre Dame TE coach Gerad Parker to be elevated to offensive coordinator
Several days of odd twists and turns in Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator search have led Marcus Freeman to promote from within. The lone Irish assistant with prior play-calling experience and a long-standing relationship with Freeman is getting a bump in title.
Gerad Parker is expected to be Notre Dame’s next offensive coordinator, according to ESPN’s Heather Dinich. He was the Irish’s tight ends coach in 2022, a role he took after spending 2020-21 as offensive coordinator at West Virginia alongside co-coordinator Chad Scott. Parker interviewed for the Notre Dame offensive coordinator job Tuesday.
The 42-year-old Parker and Freeman were on staff together at Purdue from 2013-16, when Freeman was the Boilermakers’ linebackers coach and Parker the tight ends coach. Parker served as the interim head coach for the final six games of the 2016 season after Purdue fired Darrell Hazell. He was briefly on Cincinnati’s staff with Freeman in 2017 as the running backs coach, but resigned from that role to accept an offer to become East Carolina’s wide receivers coach. That offer was rescinded, though, when he was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated in February 2017.
Before West Virginia, Parker was Penn State’s wide receivers coach in 2019, Duke’s receivers coach in 2018 and an offensive analyst at Duke in 2017. He was Marshall’s wide receivers coach from 2011-12 before Purdue hired him. He also worked at Tennessee-Martin as the passing game coordinator (2008-10) and at Kentucky as a graduate assistant (2007). He played wide receiver at Kentucky from 2000-04.
The Wednesday news that Notre Dame is expected to hire Wisconsin passing game coordinator Gino Guidugli as quarterbacks coach suggests Parker will also remain the tight ends coach. Both will reportedly be heavily involved in the direction of the offense.
“Guidugli is expected to work hand in hand with Parker on developing game plans and the Irish’ overall scheme of attack,” FootballScoop’s Scott Roussel wrote.
Parker takes over play-calling duties from Tommy Rees, who left Feb. 3 to take the same job at Alabama after three seasons at Notre Dame. Freeman brought two external candidates to campus before turning to Parker, who interviewed earlier this week. The most recent was Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, who arrived Feb. 10 for an in-person interview and was spotted at the Irish hockey game with Freeman and Parker that night.
Ludwig and Notre Dame did not reach an agreement, though, with multiple reports Monday night stating that Ludwig’s $2.8 million buyout was a problem for the Irish.
Freeman also brought Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein to campus for an in-person interview Feb. 8.
Parker’s expected promotion and Guidugli’s hire leave Notre Dame with one assistant coach spot to fill: offensive line. The team announced Feb. 12 that Harry Hiestand was retiring after one year of a second stint as the offensive line coach.
