Defensive coordinator toughest job out there
AP College Football Writer
DALLAS — Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables began his coaching career at Kansas State in the mid-1990s, trying to come up with ways to stop Nebraska's power option. The Cornhuskers were predictable, but often darn near unstoppable.
So as far as Venables is concerned, coaching defenses has always been challenging. Over 25 years in the business, the challenges have only increased as offenses have become more varied and creative and most every rules tweak has made it harder to play defense. Touchdowns and yards have never been more plentiful. FBS records for yards per play, touchdowns per game and points per game set last season are again being challenged in 2018.
"I love the challenge," said Venables, who has had a top-20 defense each of the last five years at Clemson. "Doesn't mean I always like the result, but I love the challenge."
As offenses hum along, defensive coordinator has become the toughest job in college football, often the targets for frustrated fans whose teams just can't seem to get a stop. No. 4 Oklahoma reached the College Football Playoff, where the Sooners will face No. 1 Alabama on Saturday in the Orange Bowl, after replacing its defensive coordinator halfway through the season.
And when schools are looking for their next head coach, they have been far more likely in recent years to hire the up-coming offensive guru than a guy with a defensive background. On the bright side for defensive coordinators, the pay is great. This season nine of the 10 highest paid assistant coaches in college football were on the defensive side, along with 16 of the 21 assistants who made more than $1 million in salary, according to USA Today's salary database.
Venables is No. 2 on that list at $2.2 million, behind LSU's Dave Aranda ($2.5 million). Venables and No. 2 Clemson face No. 3 Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl in Saturday's first CFP semifinal. The Fighting Irish are on their third d-coordinator in three years in Clark Lea. In 2016, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly fired defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder during a 4-8 season. Kelly hired Mike Elko away from Wake Forest in 2017 and Elko did such a good job turning around the Irish defense that Texas A&M gave him a three-year contract worth more than $1.8 million annually.
Kelly promoted 37-yearold Clark Lea to replace Elko and the Fighting Irish defense took another step forward this season, ranking eighth nationally in yards per play allowed (4.53)
While Venables coaches like a sugared-up 10-yearold who can barely stay off the field during the games, Lea is professorial in his demeanor and approach.
"We joke a lot they we definitely chose the wrong side (of the ball) to do it," Lea said. "It's a lot more fun to be an offensive coach these days. The challenges inherit in defending modern offense require some ability to process and think and be creative. And I think that's a fun part of what we do. It's a game of strategy."
But, Lea added: "It's not about being schematically cuter than the team you're playing. It's about getting your players in positions where they're confident and they're playing with great fundamentals and they're playing really fast and they're covering spaces. Defense is still about your guy getting off a block and making a tackle and you can't deviate from that. Even as it becomes basketball on grass."