Mike Denbrock explains why he left LSU for Notre Dame OC job

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman made a big move this offseason, bringing in LSU offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock to lead the Irish offense.

Denbrock was in charge of LSU’s high-flying offense each of the past two seasons, including in 2023 when Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels won the Heisman trophy.

Mike Denbrock was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2023 as LSU led the nation in scoring at 45.5 points per game. LSU and head coach Brian Kelly were hopeful Denbrock would stay in Baton Rouge for years to come. However, when Freeman and Notre Dame called he couldn’t say no.

Denbrock met with the media on Friday and explained why he chose to return to Notre Dame, where he was an assistant from 2010-2016.

“It was a really hard decision to leave LSU. Our family was happy there. Great program. A lot of respect for coach Kelly, obviously. We’ve worked together on and off for 30-plus years, or however long I’ve been doing this. So that was difficult,” Mike Denbrock said.

“And really, wasn’t really looking for a new opportunity. But when Notre Dame called and we had a couple of conversations, this is a place that I’ve always felt my heart was. It’s where I’ve always wanted to be. And the opportunity to come back here presented itself. And it was a difficult decision but the right decision for a number of reasons.”

Denbrock further explained why making the move to Notre Dame made sense, citing location, among the many factors. He is also very comfortable with Marcus Freeman after working with Freeman for four years at Cincinnati.

In the end, he just felt like it was the right time to come back to Notre Dame.

“No. 1 is because it’s the University of Notre Dame. And my beliefs are so aligned with the student athletes that are attracted here. The high achievers, the best of the best, is something that anybody enjoys being a part of. And then being closer to family. I grew up in Michigan. My wife is from Buffalo, New York. An opportunity to kind of get back closer to family was a factor in it,” Denbrock said.

“And then an opportunity to come back and work with Marcus Freeman, who I have an unbelievable amount of respect for. Obviously we worked together at Cincinnati and watching him and his leadership ability, the way he inspires people around him to be better at what they’re doing was something I felt like I wanted to be a part of.”