“Disastrous Decisions: Two Former Notre Dame Coaches Ranked Among Worst College Football Hires of the 21st Century”
College football is a sport driven by legacy, passion, and the relentless pursuit of success. At storied programs like Notre Dame, coaching decisions carry a magnitude that reverberates throughout the national landscape. With decades of tradition and national championships as the backdrop, each head coaching hire is not merely a job appointment—it’s a calculated risk, a potential turning point for the trajectory of a program. Yet, even the most historic institutions aren’t immune to missteps. In a recent retrospective analysis of the worst coaching hires in college football this century, two names stood out not just for their lackluster results, but also for the surprising fact that both had once held the keys to the Notre Dame kingdom. Their tenures, both before and after South Bend, have become cautionary tales of squandered opportunities, mismatched visions, and the unforgiving nature of big-time college football.
The two names making headlines once again for all the wrong reasons are Charlie Weis and Tyrone Willingham. For Notre Dame fans, these names trigger memories of unfulfilled hype, lopsided losses, and a sense of what could have been. While each coach had moments of promise in South Bend, their overall body of work left fans frustrated and analysts baffled. What makes their inclusion on this list so remarkable is that both were seen as transformative hires at the time, expected to bring Notre Dame back to national prominence. Instead, their legacies have been defined by underachievement, baffling contracts, and abrupt exits. Even more damning is the fact that their coaching failures extended beyond Notre Dame, staining their reputations further at subsequent programs.
Charlie Weis arrived at Notre Dame in 2005 with the shine of Super Bowl rings and the endorsement of Bill Belichick. Coming off a dominant run as the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, Weis was hailed as an offensive genius who would modernize Notre Dame’s approach. His first season seemed to validate the hype, as quarterback Brady Quinn thrived and the Irish returned to national contention. However, those early successes masked deeper issues. Weis’s tenure quickly devolved into a frustrating cycle of defensive failures, poor development, and consistent underperformance in marquee games. Despite a 9-3 debut season, he finished with a 35-27 record over five seasons, including consecutive 3-9 and 6-6 seasons that spelled the end of his time in South Bend.
But what truly solidified Weis’s reputation as one of the worst coaching hires was his next stop: the University of Kansas. Hired in 2012 with hopes of reviving one of the most moribund programs in the Power Five, Weis instead turned the Jayhawks into an even bigger punchline. Over nearly three seasons, he compiled a 6-22 record, routinely being blown out and making headlines more for bizarre roster decisions than competitive games. Even more embarrassing was the financial fallout—Weis was paid over \$12 million by Notre Dame after his firing and earned millions more from Kansas, creating one of the most expensive coaching busts in college football history. His name became synonymous with contractual mismanagement and unmet expectations.
Tyrone Willingham’s path to notoriety was different but equally disappointing. Hired in 2002 as Notre Dame’s first Black head coach, Willingham came with great fanfare after a successful stint at Stanford. His first season was a triumph, going 10-3 and appearing to restore the Irish to national relevance. However, his inability to sustain momentum quickly became evident. Over the next two seasons, Notre Dame went 11-12, and Willingham was dismissed after just three seasons—a decision that sparked controversy and debate over its fairness. Still, what followed at the University of Washington only added to the narrative of Willingham’s ineffectiveness. Taking over a struggling Huskies program, Willingham went 11-37 over four seasons, culminating in a winless 0-12 campaign in 2008. It was one of the worst stretches in the history of a Power Five program and cemented his status as one of the most disappointing coaching hires of the century.
The common thread linking these two former Notre Dame coaches is a mixture of high expectations and systemic failures. Both were hired to be saviors—Weis with his NFL pedigree and Willingham with his disciplined, academic-first philosophy. Both had moments that teased potential, only for their tenures to collapse under the weight of unrealistic expectations, recruiting missteps, and program mismanagement. Their time at Notre Dame was filled with headlines, but rarely the kind that mark sustained success. Weis was famous for bluster, promises of schematic advantages, and postgame pressers that aged poorly. Willingham, on the other hand, was criticized for his aloof approach, lack of player development, and inability to rally a fanbase desperate for energy and leadership.
Beyond their tenures in South Bend, their failings at Kansas and Washington, respectively, have made them emblematic of the risks schools take when chasing quick fixes or banking on name recognition over program fit. Their hirings now serve as case studies in what happens when administrative decisions ignore red flags or fall in love with the idea of a coach rather than the substance. Charlie Weis’s tenure at Kansas, in particular, is frequently cited in sports management classes as an example of how not to structure contracts or build a football culture from the ground up. Willingham’s Washington era is remembered for its futility and the long rebuild that had to follow in the aftermath.
Notre Dame, for its part, has tried to learn from these missteps. The hiring of Brian Kelly in 2010 marked a shift toward stability, discipline, and program building. Kelly, for all his flaws, brought consistency and a return to national prominence that had eluded the program since the Lou Holtz era. And in the wake of Kelly’s departure to LSU, Marcus Freeman’s appointment represents a new chapter—one built on player relationships, energy, and a strong defensive identity. Freeman’s background as a former Buckeye linebacker and rising coaching star couldn’t be more different from the failed blueprints of Weis and Willingham.
The inclusion of both Weis and Willingham in any “worst hires” list isn’t merely a critique of their records—it’s a reflection of how badly things can go when the fit isn’t right. In both cases, expectations were sky-high, media attention was intense, and the spotlight of the Notre Dame job proved too much. Their failures also serve as a reminder of how challenging it is to manage both the football and institutional demands that come with coaching at a place like Notre Dame. From academic rigor to alumni expectations to national scrutiny, Notre Dame presents a coaching gauntlet that only a few have truly mastered.
In hindsight, both Weis and Willingham were perhaps set up to fail—not just by their own shortcomings, but by unrealistic expectations, administrative pressures, and a fanbase desperate to reclaim past glory. Still, their inclusion on lists ranking the worst hires of the 21st century is not unjust. It’s a stark reminder that in college football, where legacies are made on Saturdays and job security is week-to-week, not all coaching journeys have happy endings. While they each had moments of success, their names now reside more in the footnotes of failure than in the chapters of championship lore.
As Notre Dame looks to the future under Marcus Freeman, the lessons of the past loom large. The ghosts of Weis and Willingham remind Irish fans and college football watchers alike of how quickly promise can turn into disappointment. Coaching at Notre Dame is one of the most prestigious opportunities in the sport, but with that prestige comes immense pressure. Weis and Willingham found that out the hard way. And while their time at Notre Dame may be behind them, the cautionary tale they represent will continue to echo in South Bend—and throughout college football—for years to come.
