Mike Denbrock explains why he left LSU for Notre Dame

Mike Denbrock met with reporters in South Bend on Friday for the first time since leaving LSU for Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator job.

Denbrock, who previously worked at Notre Dame from 2010-16, spent 2 seasons with the Tigers. He helped the program win the SEC West in 2022 and called the offense that led quarterback Jayden Daniels to the 2023 Heisman Trophy.

When speaking with reporters at Notre Dame, Denbrock said he and his family were happy at LSU but said Notre Dame is “always where I’ve wanted to be.”

“Number one, it was a really hard decision to leave LSU,” Denbrock said. “Our family was happy there. Great program. A lot of respect for coach (Brian) Kelly obviously. We’ve worked together on and off over 30+ years or however long I’ve been doing this. So that was difficult. And really, I wasn’t really looking for a new opportunity.

“But when Notre Dame called and we had a couple conversations, this is a place that I’ve always felt my heart was. It’s where I’ve always wanted to be. The opportunity to come back here presented itself and it was a difficult decision but the right decision. And for a number of reasons.”

Here’s video of Denbrock’s full comments on his decision to re-join Notre Dame:

Denbrock said Kelly wasn’t “real happy” with his decision, but understood his reasons for wanting to return to South Bend.

Denbrock replaces Gerad Parker as Notre Dame’s OC after Parker left for the Troy head coaching job earlier this offseason. LSU replaced Denbrock with Joe Sloan, who was the Tigers’ QB coach in 2023. Cortez Hankton was also promoted to co-offensive coordinator following Denbrock’s departure.