Western Michigan is hiring Notre Dame senior analyst and assistant defensive backs coach, pulling another staffer from Marcus Freeman’s defense according to Chris Hummer.
Casey McHugh has spent the last two seasons helping oversee an Irish secondary that has ranked amongst the nation's best in opponent passer-rating. The 32-year-old served as a senior analyst and assistant defensive backs coach.
Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor, a former Notre Dame running backs coach, has not been shy in seeking out talent from his old employer. McHugh joins names such as Chris O'Leary, Greer Martini, and Nick Coleman as former Irish who joined the Bronco family. McHugh now becomes the latest South Bend export to join Taylor after earlier career stops at Old Dominion and Oklahoma State, where he worked primarily with linebackers and safeties.
A former aerospace engineering major at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, McHugh took an unconventional path to the Irish, beginning his coaching career as quarterbacks coach at Division III Delaware Valley in 2018 before moving into quality control and graduate assistant roles on defense at Old Dominion. He then spent the 2023 season as a defensive graduate assistant with Oklahoma State’s linebackers before Notre Dame hired him as a defensive analyst in 2024.
Western Michigan is hiring Notre Dame senior analyst Casey McHugh as safeties coach, a source tells @CBSSports.
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) February 19, 2026
McHugh's played a big role in the Irish having a top 10 defense in opposing passer rating the last 2 seasons. Made previous stops at Oklahoma State and ODU. pic.twitter.com/9Wq310GNaV
For Notre Dame, McHugh’s departure is the latest wrinkle for new defensive coordinator Chris Ash and new co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach Aaron Henry to continue to reload a side of the footbaall that has produced elite pass-defense numbers the last two years. Earlier this week it was also reported that Notre Dame is expected to hire Jevaughn Codlin as safeties coach and senior defensive analyst, which the Irish will hope can help maintain continuity in the secondary despite the recent exits.
McHugh’s jump to an on-field role in the MAC also underscores the growing reputation of Notre Dame’s analyst pipeline, which has increasingly become a launching pad for assistants looking to move from behind-the-scenes roles in South Bend to full-time position jobs elsewhere.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: A Notre Dame staffer is leaving for WMU reuniting with former ND coach