ESPN College Football

Today wraps up Coaches We Love to Hate week, a theme that brought the readers out in full force the past few days.

On Tuesday, we asked you who the most hated Notre Dame coach was, in addition to fielding your feelings toward opposing coaches.

Unsurprisingly given his performance in South Bend, Charlie Weis has run away in the most-hated poll, with Dan Devine coming a distant second. Why? One reader, Aaron Short, suggested that could have more to do with his portrayal in "Rudy" than anything else.

Ah, the power of Hollywood.

As for opposing coaches you guys hate, the usual suspects filled my mailbag: Lane Kiffin, Urban Meyer, Pete Carroll and Mark Dantonio.

Here's why ...

Joe from Danville, Pa.: Two words: Little Giants. Mark Dantonio by a margin so wide science has yet to determine a system of measure that can determine it.

Brian from Raleigh, N.C.: Currently, I dislike Kiffin the most. If you really listen to nearly any interview he gives, he's still the snotty little brat we always thought he was. I don't know how the media can listen to him and not get that impression. I actually respect Dantonio a lot. I hate MSU, and fortunately that particular school is unable to have more than one really good sports team in a season so committed to mediocrity they are. So as long as [basketball coach Tom] Izzo is there, we won't have to worry about them being too good too often. The ND coach I disliked the most? Gotta be Weis in my lifetime. They all have driven me nuts from time to time ( was born under Devine, grew up under [Gerry] Faust and [Lou] Holtz) but those ND teams simply were not what Notre Dame football is about.

Rose from Los Alamitos, Calif.: No longer a college coach, but Pete Carroll was the worst. The hair at my nape stood on end when I would hear him speak. Just a bad feeling that the guy was not to be trusted.

Jim from Notre Dame, Ind.: Pete Carroll is far and away my least favorite (former) coach. The man never stopped badgering the officials about any call against his team (even blatant cheap shots ... which, with the players he recruited were frequent), was constantly on the playing field and outside of the coaches box (AT LEAST ISSUE HIM A WARNING!), and honestly, I've never hated an opposing coach more. That said, his replacement is making a run at Carroll's title. His comments about Notre Dame make me irate, and his general demeanor and pouting face are loathsome. I hate them, I hate USC (University of Spoiled Children/University of Sanctioned Cheating), I REALLY HATE USC, and I would love nothing more than for them to be undefeated when the Irish roll into town and beat them. P.S.: When USC was sanctioned (I thought they deserve the death penalty... REGGIE BUSH GOT A HOUSE!!!! A HOUSE!!!) and Pete Carroll got out of dodge, it showed just how slimy he really is.

Brett from Denver: Im younger so I couldnt tell you about coaches predating the mid to late 90's, but since then, to me it has to be Lane Kiffin. Its not even about the ND USC rivalry either, its what he did to Tennessee. Then pile on his arrogance and I despise no one more.

Aaron Short from Bloomington, Ill.: Do you think Devine is coming in second on the Notre Dame coach list because of how he was portrayed in "Rudy"? And in response to the opposing coaches. Lane Kiffin has to take this one. The guy jumps to the NFL, fails ... miserably, which I'm not putting the guy down for taking a chance but then Tennessee gives him a great opportunity. So he takes it and talks it up, saying and I quote "We'll be singing Rocky Top all night long after we beat Florida"... Urban Meyer's Florida, that is. Once again FAILS, miserably ... Pete Carroll darts out of LA before his crap hits the fan leaving Lane Kiffin a back door out of Knoxville. And even though he wants to try to beat Florida again because he reaallllyy wants to sing rocky top all night long, he leaves the Vols in the gutter and jumps back into the loving arms of USC, knowing that a 2 year post season ban would still be better than getting wiped up and down in the SEC. Him and Todd Graham need to set a lunch date together, if the two could commit to a place.

Mullin from Hamilton, N.J.: Without a doubt it's Urban Meyer. Now we know why he wouldn't come to his dream job at Notre Dame. He already has secondary violations at OSU and complaints about his recruiting tactics ... and how come nobody ever brings up the 30 guys that got arrested in his tenure at FLA? That doesn't work at ND. Throw in the fact that he's stolen several top recruits from ND at those 2 schools puts him as public enemy #1.

And we have a voice from the other side, too, as reader Tom Jeffries from Gas City, Ind., defends Charlie Weis' work ...

Tom: Matt I love reading your stuff every week. You do a great job. That being said, this poll was way off. Charlie got the most votes, but it was totally undeserved. First and foremost lets not forget that the last 2 BCS bowls ND was in, was under Charlie. Also I think we can all agree that he was a great person off the field. He did tons of charity work and donated more money than I will ever make in my lifetime. [He] is a good mind, who had trouble adjusting to the college game and getting the right staff together. [He] belonged in the press box, calling the plays. That why he went to Kansas City and dominated, had a good run at Florida, and is now back coaching at the BCS level at Kansas. Lets at least state the facts and give credit where credit is due.

As always, thanks a bunch for sharing your feelings. And for keeping things civil in a post like this. I can't say I'm too surprised by the amount of hatred toward USC's former and current coaches, and the expectations surrounding the Trojans this season should only add to the intrigue and animosity.

It took less than one game into his second year at Notre Dame for Brian Kelly to draw the inevitable bull's-eye that comes with coaching the nation's most polarizing program.

Yes, a season-opening loss to South Florida, which was beginning its 11th season as an FBS program, was seen as unforgivable. But what really brought attention to South Bend, Ind., after one week was what happened on the sideline, as Kelly lost his temper on several occasions, turning purple in the face with anger and becoming fodder for national analysts and opposing fan bases after the Irish's five-turnover showing.

The National Catholic Register had strong words for Kelly's actions. During ESPN's "College GameDay" broadcast the following week, a fan in the Michigan crowd held up a picture of Kelly at his worst from a week before, with the admittedly funny caption: "UMad Bro?"

Kelly, for his part, admitted afterward that he needed to do a better job of knowing that the camera is on him at all times. Then came a fourth-quarter collapse at the Big House -- a game that featured five more turnovers -- and, well, who with a rooting interest in Notre Dame wasn't turning all sorts of different colors in the face after two early unthinkable losses doomed preseason expectations?

As the Sporting News' Matt Hayes wrote after the game:

If I’m Brian Kelly, you know what I say?

@#$! you.

You want to coach this schizophrenic Notre Dame team? See how far you get without uttering a four-letter bomb.

The day Kelly becomes Ward Cleaver is the day Notre Dame looks for another coach. Until then, he’ll keep doing everything he can to win games – while on the sideline watching the unfathomable follow the unreal.

All of it against his Irish.

Kelly isn't the first football coach to get mad on the sideline and he won't be the last. He ended up going the rest of the season without any sideline dust-ups like the ones in the opener -- even if his team's performances in losses to USC and Florida State gave him every reason to -- and he is generally as media savvy as any college football coach around. When I asked readers for their opinions on Kelly's demeanor earlier this year, the response was overwhelmingly one-sided: We don't care, so long as he wins games.

The pressures of any college head-coaching job is a stress none of us can imagine. Throw in the circumstances at Notre Dame -- with alumni and fans spread all over the nation, huge expectations despite a mediocre recent history and many more restrictions than other power schools -- and it's easy to see why one can lose his cool every now and then.

At Notre Dame, everything is bigger. You'll probably get too much blame for losing and, as we've seen in the past year, you'll get too much criticism for the way you handle yourself on game day. But, as we learned in the early years of Charlie Weis, that works the other way, too. Win games, and the narrative changes: Notre Dame's coach becomes the villain for an entirely different reason.

Former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis has received close to $8.7 million to not coach his alma mater, and the number will only grow.

Weis was paid $2,054,744 of buyout money from Notre Dame from July 2010 to June 2011, according to the Chicago Tribune, which obtained the figures from Notre Dame's Form 990 it must submit to the IRS.

Fired after the 2009 season, Weis received an initial buyout payment of $6,638,403, bringing the total to $8,693,147. He is slated to receive additional payments through December 2015.

The original $6.6 million payout was to be followed by "much smaller payments," according to previous documents. Weis also received $469,727 from Play by Play sports — now known as Notre Dame Sports Properties — and an additional $1,095 of unspecified "other reportable compensation."

The first glimpse at what current head coach Brian Kelly makes shows that Kelly took in $2,424,301, though $1,762,334 of "other reportable compensation" indicates all or part of that payment is a "one-time payment to Coach Kelly," the Tribune reported. As reporter Brian Hamilton notes, that money might have helped with any buyout Kelly owed Cincinnati after leaving the Bearcats in December 2009.

Kelly's base compensation is $617,846. The form did not include payments from "external sources."

Athletic director Jack Swarbrick made $1,026,942.

Charlie Weis' struggles during his five-year tenure at Notre Dame are well-documented. Entering his first season at Kansas with a few familiar faces, Weis is looking to learn from those mistakes and bring a winning edge to a program coming off a two-win campaign in 2011.

The two biggest lessons he learned with the Irish? College kids ain't easy, and building a cohesive coaching staff is essential.

From the Hutchinson News' Lucas Fahrer:

"I learned early on at Notre Dame that an 18-year-old kid is not like a 23-year-old young man," Weis said Thursday during a sit-down before his speaking engagement at Prairie Dunes Country Club. "Somebody coming is not like somebody going out. They're not the same. You have to have a clear understanding of how to deal with a freshman that was a superstar in his high school and how to coach him and psychologically deal with him versus the more mature guy who's already gone through the beatdown for three or four or five years and can handle just about anything you throw at them."

Weis didn't waste time looking for silver linings from a roster that won just two games. Hence, the 10 offseason transfers. But he brought in six new players --including the Notre Dame trio of Dayne Crist, Anthony McDonald and Mike Ragone -- to show the younger guys the right way to handle themselves once they enter the latter stages of their college careers.

As for that other lesson, the coaching chemistry?

"When I went to Notre Dame, I was coming from 15 years in the NFL, and other than two coaches who I knew that were coaching with the (Miami) Dolphins and had been let go ... I didn't know any of the guys I was hiring," Weis said. "I was hiring guys based off (their) reputation not from personal knowledge of the coaching staff. I hired a bunch of really good coaches but the chemistry was always crummy. The only one I have to blame for that is me."

Weis was able to take a much more hands-on approach in forming his new staff, as he wasn't balancing coaching the Patriots' offense to another Super Bowl. In any event, as Fahrer notes, it will take much more than chemistry to solve the issues that plagued Lawrence, Kan., last season. Weis knows that now, and seeing him move away from the end of his Irish tenure should make for an interesting 2012 season at Kansas.

The ambitious duo of Steve Greenberg and Matt Hayes over at the Sporting News made a list for everyone to debate about: the ranking of every single FBS coach, No. 1-124.

Alabama's Nick Saban is the unsurprising leader of the rankings, coming in at No. 1. As for No. 124? UMass' Charley Molnar, though it's hardly an indictment of the former Notre Dame offensive coordinator, as he is a first-time head coach taking over a program jumping to the FBS this season.

The one readers of this blog care most about, Brian Kelly, checks in pretty favorably, coming in at No. 18. Why? From the story:

There’s too much good in Kelly’s history to give up on him now—or think some kind of Irish jinx is in play. The reality is Notre Dame underachieved last season, and probably overachieved in Kelly’s first season. So where does that leave 2012 for the program still trying to find itself again? It’s essentially Kelly’s roster now; there’s no more blame for the previous staff. He’ll win—or lose—because of roster and personnel decisions he has made.

A BCS coach says: “This slow transition must be killing Brian right now. He’s a results guy, and I think he thought he had something last season—and all those turnovers cost them at least two, maybe three, games. You’re going to see that team play with a different sense of urgency this season. Once his teams buy in, he’s usually very successful.”

Kelly comes in at No. 2 among coaches of independent schools, behind BYU's Bronco Mendenhall (No. 15 overall). As for rankings that may also be of interest to readers of this space: Kansas' Charlie Weis is No. 40 and New Mexico's Bob Davie is No. 96.

Gone fishing.

• Aaron Lynch will explore a waiver to play for USF immediately.
• Colleague David Ubben looks at Charlie Weis and Kansas as part of the Big 12 spring wrap.
• Colleague Ted Miller looks at the recent debate in NYC on whether college football should be banned.
• CBSSports.com's Will Brinson has some fun with Jimmy Clausen's disappointing haircut.
• Notre Dame backup quarterbacks have thrived in crisis situations before, Lou Somogyi writes on BlueandGold.com.

One step closer to a win for all.

• BlueandGold.com's Dan Murphy has an insightful Q&A with agent Eugene Lee.
• Another insightful piece, this one from NBCSports.com's Keith Arnold on Ethan Johnson.
• Harrison Smith is coveted supply, Brian Hamilton writes in the Chicago Tribune.
• Manti Te'o cracks Matt Hayes' list of college football's top 25 players on SportingNews.com.
• Charlie Weis is starting from scratch with Kansas, colleague David Ubben writes in the Big 12 blog.

It's been real, spring football.

• Before their spring game, Notre Dame players took part in a great cause: The Bald and the Beautiful.
• NBCSports.com's Keith Arnold breaks down the Blue-Gold game, with video interviews from the broadcast.
• In a video captured by the Kansas City Star's Rustin Dodd, Charlie Weis tells Kansas players that he wants them to celebrate wins the right way. (Credit colleague David Ubben for the find.)
• Notre Dame kicker Nick Tausch is eager to start again, Lou Somogyi writes on BlueandGold.com.
• DaVaris Daniels has shifted into the next stage, Tim Prister writes on IrishIllustrated.com.

Jamie Moyer. Wow.

• Mike Ragone is the latest former Notre Dame player to reunite with Charlie Weis in Kansas.
• Kapron Lewis-Moore is back in a familiar spot, Jake Brown writes on IrishIllustrated.com.
• Danny Spond is in a dogfight, Dan Murphy writes on BlueandGold.com.
  
• Paul Myerberg over at the Pre-Snap Read previews Charley Molnar's first season at UMass.
• Former Irish linebacker Brian Smith will host his first charity event this weekend, Eric Hansen writes in the South Bend Tribune.
  

Mike Ragone is the latest Notre Dame player who hopes a happy ending to his college football career can be found in Kansas.

The Jayhawks announced Tuesday that the tight end will join the program, making Ragone the third former Irish player to re-unite with Kansas coach Charlie Weis, the man who recruited them all while coaching at Notre Dame.

Kansas announced on Friday that linebacker Anthony McDonald would join the program after graduating from Notre Dame next month, once again following in the footsteps of new quarterback Dayne Crist. The two had played together at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif.

Ragone, meanwhile, has already graduated from Notre Dame and has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. The 6-foot-4, 262-pound tight end tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during Notre Dame's Week 2 loss at Michigan, this after already suffering two major knee injuries since 2007. The first one cost Ragone his senior year at Camden Catholic (N.J.) High School. He was ESPN's No. 2 tight end from the 2007 recruiting class.

In 37 games with the Irish, Ragone caught 11 passes for 109 yards.

Anthony McDonald is the latest Notre Dame player who will extend his career this upcoming season in Lawrence, Kan.

Kansas announced Friday that McDonald, a former Irish linebacker, will become a Jayhawk after graduating in May, joining high school teammate Dayne Crist in reuniting with coach Charlie Weis.

Former Notre Dame tight end Mike Ragone is reportedly Lawrence-bound as well.

All three players were recruited to Notre Dame by Weis, with both McDonald and Crist coming from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif.

McDonald appeared in 27 games for the Irish the past three seasons, totaling 24 tackles.

Hats off to Muffet & Co.

• IrishIllustrated.com's Pete Sampson wonders if Tommy Rees can get a running start in QB Derby '12.
• AthlonSports.com's Steven Lassan previews Notre Dame's spring.
• Irish linebackers are focused on personal gains this spring, Dan Murphy writes on BlueandGold.com
• Charlie Weis is bringing a tough approach to Kansas.
• Chris Watt and Christian Lombard are making the most of the spring, Seth Gruen writes in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Our series wraps up today, the start of spring practice, with a unit that will face quite the gauntlet of high-powered passing attacks this coming season. Who will step up?

OUT: Harrison Smith, Robert Blanton, Gary Gray. Smith was everything Notre Dame could have hoped for during his senior season, notching 90 tackles (second-most on the team), three tackles for loss, 10 pass break-ups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery — all the while serving as the Irish's lone captain. Smith was instrumental in keeping the squad together through tough stretches like the 0-2 start and the aftermath of coach Brian Kelly's controversial comments about the difference between his recruits and former coach Charlie Weis'. Smith finished his career with 309 tackles, ninth in school history, and the safety may just hear his name called on Day 1 of the NFL draft. Blanton came up big during his senior season, most notably with a game-sealing pick against Michigan State in Notre Dame's first win of the season. Gray, the other starting corner, took plenty of heat for allowing several big plays late in the loss at Michigan, but his presence will also be missed as the Irish break in two new starters at cornerback.

IN: Austin Collinsworth, Lo Wood, Bennett Jackson. Collinsworth, a safety, has been all over the field since arriving to Notre Dame as a receiver prospect in 2010, and he has filled in nicely as both a kick returner and on the kick coverage team. Wood has the biggest highlight of the three, returning an interception 57 yards for a touchdown against Maryland. Jackson, like Collinsworth, has been moved as well, entering Notre Dame as a wide receiver prospect and appearing in all 26 games through two seasons, mostly as a special teams player. He has participated with Notre Dame's track team this semester, and his speed will be crucial to a re-building secondary that faces a tough slate of signal callers in 2012, such as Oklahoma's Landry Jones and USC's Matt Barkley. Like the receiver position with Deontay Greenberry, this unit, too, is hurting from a recruiting departure — Greenberry's cousin, early enrollee cornerback Tee Shepard — as the Irish are down to five scholarship cornerbacks, with running back Cam McDaniel now moving to the defensive backfield. Kelly said at his spring-opening press conference Tuesday that Wood and Jackson enter spring as the starters and that, at least at the moment, there are no plans for incoming athlete Davonte Neal to start out as a cornerback.

Is it too early to label Lawrence, Kan., "South Bend West"?

Mike Ragone will be the next Notre Dame player to join former Irish coach Charlie Weis at Kansas, Eric Hansen reports in the South Bend Tribune.

The tight end tore the ACL in his right knee during Notre Dame's Week 2 loss at Michigan -- his third major knee injury since 2007, when he missed his senior year at Camden Catholic (N.J.) High School.

The NCAA granted Ragone a sixth year of eligibility, Hansen reports, but he was not invited back to Notre Dame for another year.

So he will join former Irish quarterback Dayne Crist in taking advantage of the NCAA's graduate-exception rule, allowing the two Notre Dame graduates to play immediately at their new school -- and, in this case, with the college coach who originally recruited them -- so long as they enroll in graduate programs not offered at Notre Dame.

“The (right) knee feels great now,” Ragone told Hansen. “I’ve been working out at home since after the bowl game (Dec. 29). I plan to go to Kansas this summer.

“It’s going to be great playing with Dayne again. He’s a great guy and a great quarterback. I asked for one more chance, and I got it.”

Congrats on getting out while you could, D'Antoni.

• From last night: Notre Dame picked up commitment No. 3 in James Onwualu. Jared Shanker has the story.
• Former Irish tight ends will pair up in Minnesota, as John Carlson has signed with the Vikings, joining Kyle Rudolph.
• Michael Floyd and Harrison Smith are holding steady on draft boards.
• Kansas coach Charlie Weis discusses the painful life of an "ogre" and more with The Sporting News' Steve Greenberg.
• BlueandGold.com's Lou Somogyi shares his thoughts on "Tight End U" and more.