Vanderbilt has lost zero to Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lee as his goal to become Commodores’ next football coach, and hopes to finalize the deal within another day, sources told ESPN.
Leah, 38, oversees Notre Dame defense (17.1 points per game) and ranks 14th nationally in total defense (314.5 yards per game). The Irish have seven of their 10 opponents this season with 21 or fewer points.
A native of Nashville, Lee played fullback at Wonderbilt after moving from Belmont, where he entered baseball. He began his college career at Birmingham Southern, where he also played baseball. Leah went to Nashville School at Montgomery Bell Academy.
Lee, who was a finalist for Boston College’s head-coaching job last year, joined the Notre Dame staff in 2017 as a linebackers coach and was promoted to defensive coordinator when Mike Elco left for Texas A&M. Lee also coached linebackers at Wake Forest, Syracuse, Billing Ling Green, South Dakota State and UCLA.
Lee will replace Derek Mason, who was fired in his seventh year on the job earlier this season. The Commodores are winless this season, and Mason has compiled a 27-55 record in Wonderbilt.
Other candidates considered for the job included Buffalo’s Lance Leopold, Army’s Jeff Monken, Charlotte’s Will Healy, former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher and former Cincinnati Bengals assistant Jonathan Hayes.
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