Utah OC Andy Ludwig. Sep 3, 2022; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Utah Utes offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig prior to the game against the Florida Gators at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a glaring need for a new offensive coordinator after Tommy Rees left for Alabama on Feb. 3. It looked like they were closing in on another candidate, but they reportedly weren’t willing to pay for his buyout, which has raised criticism towards the Fighting Irish program.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Utah Utes offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, who was a top candidate for Notre Dame’s vacancy will be staying at Utah. Notre Dame reportedly had “an obstacle” in buying out his contract, which caused Ludwig to stay with the Utes.

Notre Dame is typically seen as a powerhouse in college football. Their decision not to buy out Ludwig’s contract has caused the college football world to blast the program for what many see as being cheap.

It certainly seems like Ludwig would have been a phenomenal hire to help turn around Notre Dame’s ailing offense over the years. Utah ranked in the top 20 in the FBS in both points-per-game and yards-per-game last season with Ludwig as their OC.

Whoever ends up being Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator next season will be put into a situation with an elite starting quarterback at the helm.

Former Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman recently decided to transfer to Notre Dame after last year’s starter Drew Pyne transferred to Arizona State.

Now that Ludwig appears to be off the table for Notre Dame, they will need to look elsewhere. One possibility for them could be former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, who has been linked to the program in rumors.

[Pete Thamel on Twitter]

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.