Notre Dame is set to hire Boise State offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford to the same post, according to reports from 247 and Fox Sports on Wednesday.
Simply put, Sanford has one of the most polished resumes for a coach of his age in college football. After spending four seasons as a Boise State quarterback, Sanford worked for his father - Mike Sanford, Sr., - as a graduate assistant at UNLV in 2005-06, then joined Jim Harbaugh's original Stanford staff as an offensive assistant from 2007-08.
Sanford nabbed his first full-time job at Yale in 2009, serving as tight ends/fullbacks coach and recruiting coordinator, then joined Willie Taggart's original staff at Western Kentucky in 2010 as quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator. He returned to the Farm in 2011 as running backs coach for two seasons before a promotion to quarterbacks/wide receivers coach in 2013.
Sanford returned to Boise as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2014, aiding the Broncos to rank ninth nationally in scoring offense and in the top 20 in total offense and yards per play en route to a Mountain West title and Fiesta Bowl victory.
Sanford's teams have posted a collective 46-9 mark over the past four seasons with three conference championships and four major bowl appearances. As for what's in it for Sanford? First of all, it's Notre Dame, arguably the most powerful brand name in college sports. Beyond that, Sanford inherits a team many see on the brink of a College Football Playoff-type season with the right tweaks on offense. And finally, his new boss has a talent for launching his assistants into bigger and better jobs.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.