Bryant Young Officially Joins Notre Dame Staff

A week after the news broke that Bryant Young would be joining the Notre Dame staff as a defensive graduate assistant, he was officially announced as a member of the staff.

“I’m very excited that Bryant has decided to return home to Notre Dame,” Weis said. “We’re not just adding a future NFL Hall of Famer to our program, we’re adding a Hall of Fame person. I look forward to establishing a long and lasting relationship with Bryant and his family.”

Young earned four monograms at Notre Dame from 1990-93 and helped the Irish to a 40-8-1 record during his four years. A first-team All-America selection in 1993 as a senior captain and defensive tackle, Young started 30 of the 41 games he played at Notre Dame and totaled 176 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and 18 sacks during his collegiate career. He also played in four bowl games while at Notre Dame (started three of four bowl games but postseason statistics did not count toward individual totals).

This is great news for Notre Dame.  Young is a lock to be a first ballot Hall of Famer who brings a lot of name recognition to the Notre Dame staff.  Considering the troubles Notre Dame has had recruiting defensive linemen outside of last season, Young’s pressence on the staff (even if he can’t make in-home visits) will hopefully help the Irish recruiting efforts at the position he excelled at on the college and professional level.

Here is what Bryant Young had to say about joining the Notre Dame staff per the official release from the University.

“I’d first like to thank Coach Weis for giving Kristen and me this chance to return to Notre Dame and introduce our four children to the Notre Dame spirit,” Young said. “Notre Dame is a very special place that is near and dear to the hearts of my wife and me.

“When I retired from the 49ers in 2007 I wanted to get away from everything and clear my head before deciding what I wanted to do with my life. The game of football and thoughts of coaching never escaped me though. I explored options other than coaching but quickly found that I had a strong desire to be on the field and around the game.

“When Coach Weis presented me this unique opportunity I knew it warranted serious consideration. It’s not often that chances like this come around and the ability to work with kids and hopefully make an impact on their lives really interested me.

“My family and I had a wonderful 14 years in California but coming back to Notre Dame was a no-brainer because opportunities like this don’t present themselves everyday. I can’t wait to get back to Notre Dame and start this new chapter in my life.”

Welcome back to Notre Dame, Bryant Young – we are thrilled to have you back.