Notre Dame set to hire Virginia Tech offensive line coach Joe Rudolph to same position

The final Notre Dame assistant coach opening for 2023 has been filled. Marcus Freeman has found Harry Hiestand’s successor as offensive line coach.

The Irish are expected to hire Virginia Tech offensive line coach Joe Rudolph to the same position, according to On3’s Matt Zenitz. Irish Illustrated was first to report the news. Rudolph tweeted a farewell statement to Virginia Tech, though he did not specifically state he was going to Notre Dame.

“Sometimes, the moment you feel at home and comfortable, God pushes you in a new direction and presents you with new challenges,” Rudolph said in the statement.

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Rudolph, 50, is joining Notre Dame’s staff after one season with the Hokies. He brings eight years of experience coaching offensive lines in the Power Five. He is best known for his 2015-21 stint as Wisconsin’s offensive line coach. He was also the Badgers’ offensive coordinator and associate head coach in each of his seven seasons on staff. He followed head coach Paul Chryst to Wisconsin after three years at Pittsburgh, where he was the associate head coach and offensive coordinator.

Wisconsin, long lauded for its offensive line play, had two top-15 finishes in yards per carry in Rudolph’s tenure (2018 and 2019). The Badgers were top-35 in two other seasons (2021 and 2017). They were inside the top 30 in sacks allowed per game three times in his seven-year stint and finished top-45 in three other seasons. They produced five first-team All-American offensive linemen under his watch.

Rudolph called plays in one season as Wisconsin’s offensive coordinator (2020). He left the program to go to Virginia Tech in January 2022. The Hokies were 123rd nationally in yards per carry and 109th in sacks per game in 2022. They went 3-8 in head coach Brent Pry’s first season.

Before Pitt, Rudolph was a tight ends coach at Wisconsin from 2008-11 when Chryst was the Badgers’ offensive coordinator and at Nebraska in 2007. He began his coaching career as a grad assistant at Ohio State from 2004-06, where he overlapped with Freeman, then a Buckeyes’ linebacker. Rudolph was a guard at Wisconsin from 1991-94 and played two NFL seasons.

Notre Dame presumably had to pay a lofty price to hire Rudolph, whose salary at Virginia Tech was reportedly $725,000. That put him among the 10 highest-paid offensive line coaches at FBS public schools in 2022, according to a May 2022 report from FootballScoop.

Rudolph is Notre Dame’s third offensive line coach in as many seasons. He replaces Hiestand, who ended his second stint with the Irish after one season by announcing his retirement. Jeff Quinn was not retained as offensive line coach following the 2021 season, which opened the door for Hiestand’s return.

With Rudolph on board, Notre Dame’s offensive staff is complete after a February overall. The departures began with offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees accepting the same job at Alabama Feb. 3. Nine days later, Notre Dame stated Hiestand had retired.

Tight ends coach Gerad Parker was elevated to offensive coordinator and will remain a position coach. Notre Dame is hiring Wisconsin passing game coordinator Gino Giudugli as quarterbacks coach, though that move is still awaiting an official announcement. Guidugli was Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator in 2022 and its quarterbacks coach from 2018-22.

Notre Dame first pursued former Georgia offensive line coach and ex-Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke for the job before turning to Rudolph. Luke, 46, retired from his job on the Bulldogs’ staff after the 2021 season. He was on campus to interview with Freeman last week, but is remaining out of coaching.