Brian Polian Position: Special Teams Coach Alma Mater: John Carroll '97

Under special teams coach Brian Polian's guidance, the Irish special teams have been an opportunistic and aggressive component of the Notre Dame attack. The Irish have produced three touchdowns on punt returns, caused four fumbles on punt or kick returns, blocked five punts, eight field goals and three PATs. His punt return teams have averaged 10.4 yards per return since 2005 while the punt coverage unit has allowed just 8.2 yards per return over that span.

Polian's special teams unit were strong again in 2007 in the areas of net punting, punt coverage and attacking field goals. The Irish ranked 13th in the nation in net punting at 37.9 yards, marking the second- straight season in which they finished in the top 15 in that category. The punting combination of Geoff Price and Eric Maust landed 20 of their 76 punts inside the 20 yardline and only had three touchbacks on the season. Eighteen of their punts were fair caught and the punt coverage team allowed an average of just 7.4 yards on 32 returns. Defensive lineman Trevor Laws proved to be virtually impossible to stop at times as he registered three blocked field goals, tying for most in the NCAA.

Polian also coached the inside linebackers in 2007 and aided the growth of Joe Brockington and Maurice Crum Jr. as well as helped develop Toryan Smith and Scott Smith. Brockington had a career season last year as he ranked second on the team with 108 tackles including 8.5 tackles for loss, one sack and added one pass breakup and one recovered fumble. Crum had another solid season as he notched 84 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack while adding two interceptions, five pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles.

In 2006, Polian's special teams were highlighted by the play of punter Geoff Price. Price ranked fifth in the nation averaging 45.4 yards per punt to set the Notre Dame single-season record for best punting average. He also reached the minimum punts required to become the school's career leader punting average at 45.4. The punt coverage unit, under Polian's guidance, ranked 11th in the country at 37.8 yards per punt and helped Price land 12 punts inside the 20-yard line. The Irish returned one punt for a touchdown last year and David Grimes averaged 24.5 yards on 21 kickoff returns to rank 28th in the nation. Derek Landri blocked four kicks including tying an NCAA record when he blocked two PATs vs. North Carolina.

Polian also assisted in the coaching of linebackers in 2006. He aided in accelerating the learning curves of Travis Thomas, who was playing defense for the first time since college, and Brockington who started for the first time in his Notre Dame career. Brockington finished the year ranked sixth on the team with 59 tackles including two tackles for loss and one sack. Thomas tallied 35 tackles, 10th-most on the squad, and added five tackles for loss and one sack.

In 2005, Polian assisted Bill Lewis in coaching the defensive backs. That unit produced 19 turnovers (13 interceptions and six fumble recoveries) while contributing to Notre Dame's plus-10 turnover margin. The Irish defense limited opponents to a 35 percent success rate on third downs while Notre Dame foes scored touchdowns on only 56 percent of red zone opportunities.

Polian spent 2004 as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Central Florida under head coach George O'Leary. In 2004, he tutored senior running back Alex Haynes, who became the Golden Knights' all-time leading rusher - finishing with 742 attempts for 3,356 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns, to go with a record 16 career 100-yard games.

He previously served three years at the University of Buffalo as running backs coach and special teams coordinator. In 2002, his work with tailback Aaron Leeper earned Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year honors for Leeper, the first major award won by a Buffalo player since the Bulls joined the MAC in 1999. In 2001, he saw placekicker Dallas Pelz set a school record by booting nine straight field goals while going 12 of 18 overall.

Polian returned for his second stint at Buffalo after spending the previous two seasons at Baylor where he coached strongside linebackers as a defensive graduate assistant and served as special teams assistant. Twice an All-Western New York player and a 2004 inductee into the St. Francis High School Hall of Fame, Polian had previously coached at Buffalo during the 1998 season when he served as tight ends and assistant offensive line coach. Prior to joining the Buffalo staff, Polian served as offensive graduate assistant at Michigan State as the Spartans finished 24th in the nation and played in the Aloha Bowl.

A graduate of John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, Polian earned a bachelor's degree in History in 1997. He earned a master's degree in Education in 2000 from Baylor. He lettered three years at linebacker at John Carroll and was named to the all-Ohio Athletic Conference team in 1996. Polian helped lead the 1994 and 1996 teams to top 10 finishes in the Division III rankings.

Born Brian Stewart Polian on Dec. 22, 1974, in the Bronx, N.Y., he's married to the former Laura Maggiotto of Buffalo, N.Y. His father, Bill, is the current president of the NFL Indianapolis Colts. Older brother Chris Polian serves as the assistant general manager for the Indianapolis Colts. Younger brother Dennis Polian works in the Arena Football League offices. Brian also was a contributing author to the AFCA book "A Complete Guide to Special Teams."