To effectively motivate and lead, a head coach must connect with young adults and understand the challenges college students face Additionally, a freshman is not the same as a senior. There is a litany of things that go into this-proven success, being able to relate to high school players, forming relationships with high school coaches, working tirelessly, and hiring a staff who can also recruit At Notre Dame this also means casting a nationwide net. Academic standards make the number of potential recruits much smaller than at other schools. The only way to combat this problem is to delve into every available talent pool. 
Talent is synonymous with athleticism and proportional to potential. Players who excel at the high school level frequently do so by being more athletic than their peers. This is not sufficient at the college level when teaching fundamentals that maximize potential becomes far more important to success. With few exceptions, players take on the attitude and persona of their coach Discipline minimizes turnovers and penalties Organization minimizes poor game and clock management. Consistency ensures continued success and sustains player development. The lack of consistency over the past few years has severely hampered the progress of many Irish players.

He must have goals that are aligned with Notre Dames athletic department and administration. This is more important at Notre Dame than perhaps any other program. He must work well with the administration and maintain a vision for the program that is consistent with the aspirations of the University. He needs to have a well-defined and complementary offensive and defensive philosophy. This doesnt mean he has to be a play-caller on either side of the ball, but it does mean he needs to hire offensive and defensive coordinators/coaches who are capable of implementing schemes congruent with the philosophies of the head coach.