Vanderbilt hires Notre Dame DC Clark Lea to be head coach Lea has led a terrific Notre Dame defense over the last three seasons. December 15, 2020 The Vanderbilt Commodores announced on Monday night that they have hired Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea to be the school’s head football coach. He's back on West End. Vanderbilt has named Clark Lea the 29th head football coach in program history, Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletics Director Candice Lee announced Monday. Lea, 38, is a Nashville native and played fullback at Vanderbilt from 2002-04. He’s served as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator since 2018, after being their linebackers coach in 2017. He’s also been a linebackers coach at South Dakota State (2007-08), UCLA (2010-11), Bowling Green (2012), Syracuse (2013-15).