Why did Matt Balis stay at Notre Dame amid the coaching turmoil? ‘This is my dream job’
The evening of Nov. 29 set off a firestorm in South Bend. Head coach Brian Kelly was reportedly leaving for LSU, and the Irish did not have a clear successor to take over for him. Plus, who would Kelly take with him and how would the decisions impact the Notre Dame football program, one which had won 54 games in the last five years and been a beacon of stability in college football?
Notre Dame director of performance Matt Balis was the first to send a calming message.
Balis announced he would stay at Notre Dame on Nov. 30. He did so without a head coach in place and little idea, at least publicly, which coaches would stay behind in South Bend. The future was murky, but he was not headed to Baton Rouge. Why?
On Thursday, Balis opened up about what made his choice a no-brainer.
“This is my dream job,” Balis said. “Notre Dame is where I’ve always wanted to be. I was a fan growing up. I love it here. My family is very happy here. I have two sons, one son in high school. He loves it. He’s thriving.
“If you had said 25 years ago, ‘Where do you want to be if you had your choice?’ it would be here in this situation. So it was pretty easy.”
Balis has deep midwestern roots. He grew up in Chicago, earned his undergraduate degree in education from Northern Illinois in 1996 and received a master’s degree from Aurora University in 2001 in educational leadership and administration.
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From there, he moved all around the country. The strength coach began at Houston and subsequently went to Utah and Florida with Urban Meyer. Balis spent time Virginia, Mississippi State and Connecticut before making a return to his stomping grounds, around 100 miles from where he grew up. He has been in South Bend since 2017 and it seems he is not going anywhere any time soon.
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How does Balis help foster the Notre Dame culture?
It was clear in choosing a new head coach that Notre Dame director of athletics Jack Swarbrick wanted to keep the culture Kelly had previously established, one which feels different — in a good way — to anyone acquainted with the program. How has Balis, one of the most beloved members of the Notre Dame football staff, helped foster that culture?
Turns out, Balis feels the culture of leadership and competition is already ingrained in the players the moment they step on campus. He doesn’t have to do much to bring it out.
“Notre Dame attracts leaders and attracts the best of the best in terms of our student-athletes and players,” Balis said. “When you talk about the culture of Notre Dame, (those positive attributes) are already part of it.
“What we do with the competition, leadership and creating teams where they get to compete and lead, it fits together really well. From the time I started here, until now, that’s always been the case. They love to compete, they love to be challenged, they love to get a chance to lead, develop and work in the offseason.”
