Breaking News: Charlie Weis Out as Head Coach

Perhaps the worst kept secret in sports over the past week or two, Charlie Weis will not coach a sixth season under the Golden Dome. Weis finishes with a worse winning percentage than both Bob Davie and Tyrone Willingham, he also dropped his final ten games against ranked opponents.

No real news on the front of who will replace Charlie next season, there have been strong speculations that Bob Stoops of Oklahoma is interested in the job while Brian Kelly of Cincinnati claims he would walk from Cincy to South Bend for the job. Then there are the hopes of a fanbase that for some unforeseen reason Urban Meyer would leave his post at Florida.

Students and staff of the University were notified by e-mail of the firing, you can read the official release just below. A press conference is scheduled for later today in South Bend where Rob Ianello will be introduced as the interim coach and Jack Swarbrick will address the media. More to come here at Domer Sports Report as news breaks, we'll have instant reaction throughout.


Official News Release:

Weis will not be retained as Notre Dame football coach

University of Notre Dame head football coach Charlie Weis will not be retained, University director of athletics Jack Swarbrick announced today (Nov. 30).

“We have great expectations for our football program, and we have not been able to meet those expectations,” Swarbrick said. “As an alumnus, Charlie understands those goals and expectations better than most, and he’s as disappointed as anyone that we have not achieved the desired results.”

Swarbrick recommended the dismissal Sunday night to Notre Dame’s president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.

“We have established an evaluation process for all of our athletic programs that, in the end, results in a recommendation from Jack to me,” Father Jenkins said. “I accepted Jack’s decision and look forward to working with him on selecting a new head football coach who is the very best choice possible for the University and especially for our student-athletes.

“I am most appreciative to Coach Weis for his service to Notre Dame and our community. He and his family have my prayers and best wishes.”

Weis spent five seasons as Irish head coach from 2005-09, with his teams achieving consecutive records of 9-3 (Fiesta Bowl appearance) in ’05, 10-3 (Sugar Bowl appearance), 3-9, 7-6 (Hawai’i Bowl victory) and 6-6 in ’09 – for an overall 35-27 mark.

Swarbrick announced that Rob Ianello, the Irish assistant head coach/offense, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator, will assume responsibility for football operations until a new coach is hired. Ianello has spent the past five seasons on the Notre Dame staff and previously was part of football staffs at Wisconsin (1990-93, 2003-04), Arizona (1994-2002) and Alabama (1987-89).

Why I Don't Want Urban

Brian Dascenzo, Domer Sports Report

Notre Dame Football
Editorial

This has nothing to do with Urban Meyer as a coach, that would be stupid. This has to do with where Notre Dame football is right now and what would be best for it. It has to do with the last two years and most of the years between Holtz and Weis. It has to do with not wanting a do-over on rebuilding and not wanting to lose underclassmen who bolt because of a system change again, although this time they might be pushed out by Urban instead of leaving of their own accord.

I want Notre Dame to be successful under every coach, I get sick and tired of losing, I get fed up with not being competitive with USC or Michigan and not being able to beat Michigan State. I want Charlie to succeed, I need Charlie to succeed. The last two years have to mean something to this program other then a waste.

The turning of inexperience to dominant is what I want to see. This is the programs last chance with who is in place, I believe Swarbrick would have made the change last year if Charlie couldn't talk a good game. I need to see it in action rather than just hear about it.

The offense will probably be a pass dominant issue again, whether it's because of Armando Allen and Robert Hughes not being able to carry the load or Michael Floyd, Golden Tate and Kyle Rudolph (among others) just exploding for 150 yard games each consistently and that would seem to fit Weis' gameplan.

Notre Dame has to succeed next year because this is what we have been waiting for. As fans we are willing to look past the last two years (kind of) if this year means great success. As a fan who has seen the teams Notre Dame has lost too in person get worse and worse (from the Dowdell led Spartans to Air Force during the 3-9 debacle to Syracuse last year I personally have hit rock bottom) it has to be for something.

I have a belief in Notre Dame football that is insane, there is little reason to believe in Charlie. Sure, he's had some great recruiting classes and he turned a 6-7 team into back-to-back BCS teams, but there are questions about all of it.

Winning with Ty's players (wish Ty would have brought in players his last one and a half classes like he did the first two) or not being able to develop the players that came in during his first one and a half classes (one of those shared with Ty).

This is the show me year, Custer's last stand as you will or else we are looking at starting over again, and the cupboard won't be bare. Instead, people will be looking for Urban immediately but his contract isn't up until 2013 so the next coach will have Urban watch even worse then Charlie does. Tommy Tubberville could probably withstand that and build a program but could a less experienced coach like Brian Kelly? I don't know and the I don't know future could be worse then the Charlie past/present. Here's to hoping Urban isn't necessary to fix the last 12 and that the answer is right beneath our noses.

Follow me on twitter @dascenzo and see my thoughts on sports that don't involve UND at my blog.

Public Enemy No. 1

By Radio Man

The old saying, "if you do not have anything nice to say, say nothing at all," apparently never took hold with Florida head coach Urban Meyer. At least that is the case when coach Meyer covets a recruit that is also considering Notre Dame. As someone who actually knows Meyer from his days at ND, that surprises me a little bit, but not completely. In short, Meyer's true colors have been flying for a while now.

Case in point, when Meyer recruited Justin Trattou he did so by the cover of night. Not that it's illegal, but he told Trattou not to tell anyone he was talking with Florida. Keep in mind that Trattou was committed to Notre Dame at the time. Amongst other things, coach Meyer talked to Trattou about how the 3-4 defense was not a good fit for him and his football future (read: NFL – which is garbage – the Cowboys, Patriots, and Chargers all use the 3-4), while former Gators assistant coach Greg Mattison's favorite topics about Notre Dame (with several recruits) despite his previous love for the school was how the weather sucked and the social life suffered.

Case in point no. 2, Omar Hunter, same deal as before, and Omar was snookered into to lying to everyone from Notre Dame coaches, players, and likely even his parents, especially his father, who wanted him at Notre Dame due to the academics, that he was not talking to other schools, when in fact he was – Florida included – while being a Notre Dame commitment. In the end, Hunter was a fraud himself, but he was not the one who was truly taken for a ride. Coach Mattison recruited Hunter. He had an ax to grind with Notre Dame after leaving South Bend on not so good of terms, and he definitely took it to another level with Hunter. Mattison, you see, had an assistant coaching job lined up with the Baltimore Ravens long before this past National Signing Day came around. So when Hunter switched his commitment to UF after initially deciding to attend Notre Dame, Mattison and Meyer did what came naturally. They lied to Hunter about the entire situation telling Hunter Mattison was not leaving Gainesville. Just by complete and total coincidence Mattison ended up taking a job with the Ravens right after National Signing Day. Shocking! And oh yes, Notre Dame assistant coach Bill Lewis, who recently retired as a football coach, told Hunter of what was about to happen. Hunter did not listen and signed with the Gators.

This year there will certainly be more drama, even without the departed Gators assistant coach…Meyer has actually already made sure of that. The top recruit on Notre Dame's board for the class of 2009 is Fayetteville, N.C., (Jack Britt) standout Xavier Nixon, the top pure left tackle prospect in the country. Notre Dame will be one of Nixon's five official visits according to his father, according to this article by Tigerbait.com. But oh, the Gators are looming as well. Actually, Louisiana State, Notre Dame and Florida all appear to have a good shot to land Nixon, it's just that Notre Dame is the one school that is different (read: private school from a different region of the country) from the others that likely scares Meyer.

Without going into specifics, let me just say that Urban is bad-mouthing Notre Dame again with Nixon and his family. What a stand up individual. With Omar Hunter, it was more of the same.

Notre Dame fans will be hearing more and more about Meyer's sliminess during the coming months, as Nixon and other Notre Dame targets cross paths with Gainesville's biggest dirt bag. As I gather more information, I will continually keep everyone updated, with pleasure. Meyer's antics need to be publicly displayed. Promote the school you represent, do not hammer other programs. It's pathetic, but that's Meyer for you.

For more interesting Meyer fodder, go to Her Loyal Sons and decide for yourself just how well Meyer fits in with another con artist down in Tuscaloosa or Knoxville or Fayetteville. OK, the SEC is chalk-full of slime balls. Meyer fits right in.