Report: Brian Kelly attempted to steal key Ohio State assistant

New LSU head coach Brian Kelly attempted to poach former Notre Dame assistant and current Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford for his new staff, according to The Athletic’s Pete Sampson. However, the report indicates Alford will remain in Columbus with the Buckeyes.

Tony Alford, a 53-year old Colorado State graduate, worked under Brian Kelly as a wide receiver coach, running back coach and recruiting coordinator from 2010-14.

In his first day on the job, Kelly has made several attempts to secure an SEC staff, but Alford will not be part of it. Other LSU targets include Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman.

More news on Kelly’s staff suggests current staffers running back coach Kevin Faulk and cornerback coach and recruiting coordinator Corey Raymond.

More on Brian Kelly’s staff

Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman has been viewed as a name to watch in Notre Dame’s surprise coaching search. But The Athletic’s Pete Sampson reported Tuesday that Kelly is hoping to bring the former Cincinnati defensive coordinator with him to LSU — with quite a payday in store.

But Freeman isn’t the only Notre Dame assistant Kelly is hoping to bring to LSU. The Athletic’s Matt Fortuna reports Fighting Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is also on Kelly’s wish list.

Freeman played linebacker at Ohio State from 2004-08 and was chosen in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. After bouncing around NFL practice squads, he went back to Ohio State as a graduate assistant coach in 2010.

He worked his way up through the coaching rankings to become Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator from 2017-20. Freeman also had rumors about LSU this past offseason, but Kelly brought him to South Bend to replace Clark Lea.

Now, rumors are once again swirling that Freeman could end up in Baton Rouge. That could throw a major twist into Notre Dame’s search for Kelly’s replacement.

Rees played for Kelly from 2010-14 and joined the coaching staff in 2017 as quarterbacks coach. He moved up to offensive coordinator in 2020 and stayed in the role this season.

The Fighting Irish had the 11th-best scoring defense in the country this season, holding teams to 18.9 points per game. In fact, Notre Dame nearly went all of November without allowing a touchdown. Stanford scored in the second half of last week’s game to end that streak.