 Brad
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ND appears to have hired its final coach to complete the staff. I think its a fantastic hire. We got Bobby Elliott, who I believe was coaching secondary at Iowa State.
Bobby Elliott is a veteran defensive coach. He coached secondary under Hayden Fry at Iowa for about a decade, and then was DC under Hayden Fry until he retired. He coached Kerry Cooks and Bob Diaco, so we now have three guys who are schooled in Hayden Fry’s defense. I would assume the similar focus and emphasis from each of them as to how to play defense will be a massive help.
Also, after leaving Iowa when Fry retired, Bobby Elliott was the DC at Kansas State for the incredible couple year run they had from around 2000-2003 or so. I’m not sure on the timeline exactly, but those Kansas State defenses were dominant in that era. If I recall correctly, that means he probably coached with some of the Stoops boys, though obviously not Bob, who took the Oklahoma job in 1999 or so.
Either way, its an experienced hire of an old school guy with fantastic defensive credentials who should fit right in with the other defensive coaches in terms of philosophy.
Lastly, his dad was Bump Elliott, the head coach at Michigan back in the 60s or something.
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 Matt Q. (DMQ)
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This is a phenomenal hire. The defensive side of the coaching staff is going to operate like a very well-oiled machine. Not that it was operating roughly before, but Elliott is the kind of guy who can come onto this staff, work his position duties, AND give some sage advice to our young DC when the moment calls for it without causing disruption to the chemistry. I’m really excited.
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 trey
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Well, one thing in their favor is extreme talent on that DL. There should be no excuse for not having one of the best in the nation with the guys we have there. Best of luck to Coach Elliott.
Brad, is your comment correct that Elliott COACHED Diaco or did you mean coached WITH? How weird would that be to be your former coaches boss?
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 Mark G.
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Saw article this am in South Bend Tribune where Tom Lemming was very, very complimentary about Coach Elliott. One quote jumped out:
“On the field, he’s extremely knowledgeable about defense, about special teams, just about everything football. He’s been around a long
time, and he’s always been successful.”
Note the reference to special teams? Maybe he can be helpful to Elston as special teams coordinator. While I would prefer to see a coach dedicated principally to special teams rather than as an add on (how do you coach the D line and handle punt returns?), short of that I hope that Elliott can help out on what is after all essentially a third of the game.
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 SDI
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Good point about special teams. Whether he is officially the “special teams coordinator” or not, I’m sure he will be a great resource for Elston or any other coach in that position.
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Brad
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Trey,
No, I said it right. Elliott was the defensive backs coach when Diaco was an underclassmen, and I think became DC while Diaco was an All-American. Not positive on the dates, but Elliott was coaching defense for Iowa then both Diaco and Kerry Cooks played ball there.
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 Erik 04
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Here’s a great article that fills in all the details:
http://www.irishsportsdaily.com/football/football-articles/6360-elliott-to-join-irish-staff
Coach Alford also has experience with Coach Elliot, so that’s three current coaches who are all familiar with him. That’s about as “in house” of a hire as you can get.
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SDI
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Agree MQ, this is a very good hire. Who would have thought that heading into year 3, Kelly and his talented defensive staff would have built a defense that was approaching elite status, loaded with 4 and 5 star front 7 talent, and that the offense and quarterback position would be completely unsettled? I would not have believed anyone who predicted this scenario when Kelly was hired.
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 The Biscuit
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Amazing hire. And man, I hope he can help Elston figure out his stuff too. But should be a solid group.
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