When Clark Lea took the head coaching job at Vanderbilt, he left Notre Dame vulnerable to making the same crucial recruiting mistake for the second year in a row. Passing on any linebackers in the class of 2020 was deemed viable, rather than spend a scholarship on a player the coaching staff did not truly relish joining the roster, but not securing any linebacker commitments in two consecutive cycles would have been a self-inflicted roster construction disaster.
Sure, Hawaiian linebacker Kahanu Kia was still committed despite the defensive coordinator’s departure, but as a practicing member of The Church of Latter-Day Saints, Kia intends to take a two-year mission following his freshman season.