Brian Polian 2021-22 Football Staff

The Polian File

Playing Experience

Coaching Career

Bowls Coached

PERSONAL INFORMATION

• Four-year letterwinner at linebacker for John Carroll from 1993-96
• Authored and published a book in 2020 entitled “Coaching and Teaching Generation Z.”
• Father, Bill, was the general manager and architect of the Super Bowl teams of the Buffalo Bills in the 1990s and later, as the team’s president, oversaw the Indianapolis Colts’ two Super Bowl appearances and their championship in 2006. He was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015
• Older brother, Chris, is the director of Pro-Personnel for the NFL’s Washington Football Team.
• Younger brother, Dennis, is the Senior Associate AD/Football Chief of Staff at Baylor University.

COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2021 season
• From 2017-20, served as special teams coordinator / recruiting coordinator for the Irish, spearheading Irish recruiting efforts that produced top-15 classes in 2019 and 2020 and top-10 classes in 2018 and 2021; recognized by Scout and Rivals as one of the top recruiters in the country on multiple occasions
• In his time coordinating special teams, the Irish units have been some of the best in the country. Punt coverage and kick-off coverage were both ranked in the top-20 nationally in 2019 and 2020. In 2019 and 2020, the Irish blocked four punts and returned two of them for touchdowns. Following the 2019 season, Pro Football Focus ranked the Notre Dame special teams as the No. 3 unit in the country.
• Mentored kicker Jonathan Doerer to a standout season in 2019
• Doerer was a perfect 57-for-57 on PATs while going 17-for-20 on field goals with a pair of makes from beyond 50 yards
• Doerer scored 108 points on the year, the most prolific scoring season by a kicker in school history
• Doerer became the first kicker in school history and just the sixth player at Notre Dame to have a 100-plus point season
• Long snapper John Shannnon was awarded the Mannelly Award following the 2019 season, recognizing the top snapper in the country.
• Coached 2018 graduate punter Tyler Newsome and 2018 senior place kicker Justin Yoon to record-setting careers
• Newsome averaged 44.7 yards per punt average in 2018 on 53 punts, including 19 punts of at least 50 yards and 19 that pinned the opposition inside the 20-yard line
• Newsome shattered the Notre Dame record for single-game punting average against Vanderbilt (Sept. 15), with five boots averaging 59.6 yards (all five punts were over 50 yards and three exceeded 60 yards), two inside the 20-yard line and a 63-yard punt late in the fourth quarter to help clinch the win
• Newsome owns four of the top-eight single-season punting averages in school history
• Newsome’s 44.0 career punting average ranks second in school history (Craig Hentrich holds the school record of 44.1)
• Yoon, Notre Dame’s all-time leading scorer, connected on 17 of 21 field goals and 41 of 43 point-after attempts in the 2018 season.
• Yoon also owns the school record for career field goals made (59)
• Spent four years as the head coach at Nevada (2013-16)
• Led the Wolf Pack to consecutive bowl games in 2014 and 2015, including a victory in the inaugural ‘15 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl — Nevada’s fifth bowl win in school history
• Guided Nevada to 23 wins, 2 victories over Power 5 opponents, 26 individual All-Mountain West honors and unprecedented academic honors
• Nevada posted a 7-6 overall record with a 4-4 mark in Mountain West play in 2015, marking consecutive seasons he led the Wolf Pack to a winning record
• Nevada used a lethal ground-and-pound offense in ‘15, as James Butler and Don Jackson each eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing (the Wolf Pack were one of just three teams in the nation with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers)
• Following the 2015 season, linebacker Jordan Dobrich was recognized as the MWC Male Scholar-Athlete of the year and was a finalist for the the Campbell Trophy, the “Academic Heisman”
• Registered a 7-6 record and returned to a bowl game, playing in the 2014 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
• The Wolf Pack defeated Pac-12 foe Washington State, scored impressive road wins at BYU, Hawaii and San Jose State, and capped the regular season with a dominating win at UNLV
• Helped nine student-athletes earn 2014 All-Mountain West honors, including Cody Fajardo, who became just the second player in NCAA history to pass for 9,000 yards and rush for 3,000 yards in a career
• Selected to represent the Mountain West Conference on the inaugural College Football Officiating Competition Committee in June of 2015
• Came to Nevada after a year as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Texas A&M, which capped an 11-2 season in 2012 with a win over Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, a final ranking of #5 in the nation, and an historic Heisman Trophy for then-freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel
• Aggie special teams were some of the best in the SEC and in the country.
• Texas A&M finished in the top-20 in net-punting and in punt return.  Punt returner Dustin Harris set an SEC record for most punt return yards in a single game with 246 yards against SC State
• Two-year run with Stanford (2010-11) was marked by a pair of BCS bowl appearances and two of the top recruiting classes in school history
• Served as the special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator while also coaching the safeties with the Cardinal
• 2011 Stanford team finished 11-2, ranked #7 in the nation, and appeared in the Fiesta Bowl
• 2010 Cardinal team finished 12-1, ranked #4 in the nation, and won the Orange Bowl
• Served as an assistant at Notre Dame from 2005 – 2009 working with the special teams, linebackers, and defensive backs
• Earned a number of honors as one of the top recruiters in the country during his first tenure at Notre Dame
• Nominee for the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Assistant Coach of the Year in 2008
• Coached Irish special teams units that set a number of school records and Notre Dame went to a pair of BCS bowl games
• Guided the Notre Dame kickoff return defense to a nation leading 16.47 yards per return in 2008 — even more impressive when you consider the figure came on 59 kickoff return attempts
• Only one FBS school since 2003 has posted a better kickoff return defense with at least 59 kickoff return attempts
• Owns an impressive football pedigree that also includes coaching stops at UCF, Buffalo, Baylor and Michigan State as part of a 21-year career.
• Worked as a graduate assistant for Nick Saban at Michigan State (1997) and then spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Baylor (1999-2000)

Dynamic Disciples

WR Chase Claypool (Notre Dame)

• 2020 NFL Second Round pick (Pittsburgh Steelers)
• Widely considered of the best special teams players coming out of college in ‘20

LB Drue Tranquill (Notre Dame)

• 2019 NFL Fourth Round pick (Los Angeles Chargers)
• Dynamic special teams player in both college and the NFL

LB Malik Reed (Nevada)

• 2019 Undrafted free-agent (Denver Broncos)
• Made the team and developed into a starter in 2020

OL Austin Corbett (Nevada)

• 2018 NFL Draft Second Round pick (Cleveland Browns)
• 2017 Senior Bowl
• 2017 Semi-finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy

OL Joel Bitonio (Nevada)

• 2014  NFL Draft Second Round pick (Cleveland Browns)
• 2014  NFL First Team All-Pro

LB Manti Te’o (Notre Dame)

• 2013 NFL Draft Second Round pick (San Diego Chargers)
• 2012 Walter Camp Player of the Year
• 2012 Heisman Trophy runner-up
• 2012 Butkus, Nagurski, Lombardi, Bednarik, Lott Maxwell Awards
• 2012 Unanimous All-American

S Tom Zbikowski (Notre Dame)

• 2008 NFL Draft Third Round pick (Baltimore Ravens)
• Tied for most punt returns for touchdown in Notre Dame history
• Two-time AP Third Team All-American (2005, 2006)

LS J.J. Jansen (Notre Dame)

• 10-year NFL veteran
• 2013 NFL Pro Bowl selection
• Three-year long snapper at Notre Dame

P Geoff Price (Notre Dame)

• Notre Dame’s single-season leader for best punting average and second in career punting average

RB Alex Haynes (UCF)

• UCF’s all-time leading rusher