Sources told ESPN that Vanderbilt has zeroed Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea into zero as his first goal of becoming Commodore’s next football coach and that he hopes to finalize a contract within the next day.
Leah, 38, ranked 12th nationally for Notre Dame defense (17.1 points per game) and 14th nationally for overall defense (314.5 yards per game). The Irish have seven of their 10 opponents this season with 21 or fewer points.
Leah, who hails from a Nashville country, played fullback at Vanderbilt after being transferred from Belmont, where she plays baseball. He began his college career in Birmingham South, where he played baseball. Leah went to school in Nashville at Montgomery Bell Academy.
Leah, who was a finalist in the Boston College leadership coaching job last year, joined Notre Dame staff in 2017 as a linebackers coach and was promoted to defensive coordinator when Mike Elco left for Texas A&M. Leah also coached linebackers at Wake Forest, Syracuse, Bowling Green, South Dakota State and UCLA.
Leah will replace Derek Mason, who was fired in her seventh year earlier this season. The Commodores have not won this season, and Mason has amassed a 27-55 record at Vanderbilt.
Other candidates considered by Vanderbilt for the job include Buffalo Lance Leibold, Army’s Jeff Mongan, Charlotte Will Healy, former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher and former Cincinnati Bengals assistant Jonathan Hayes.