By: Nate Murphy (@bigmurph23)
Josh Claydon, better known in these parts as Wookie, is known worldwide for two things. Co-piloting the galaxy’s fastest ship, and helping his best friend steal a man’s sister (go ahead, make your West Virginia jokes here) right out from under him. But here in the CFSL, Wookie is known as a Hall of Famer, and AD of Notre Dame’s historical 17-game winning streak and consecutive national titles.
As a WVU alum in real life, and someone who was in school during the Pat White and Steve Slaton era, I am a firm believer that you can come home. And in WVU’s case, the prodigal son Rich Rodriguez has returned to hopefully return the real-life Mountaineers to a threat for a national title. And this got me thinking, what does the CFSL Notre Dame’s prodigal son think about his opportunity to return home? Well, the only way to find out is to sit down and ask him. So I did. Here is what Josh had to say.
Murph: How did all of this come about? Were you approached by Mike, or was this something that you mentioned having interest in previously?
Josh: It honestly came as a surprise. Mike sent me a text asking if I wanted Notre Dame back, and it kinda took me by surprise. I had to really think it over. I said publicly many times and to Mike that I didn’t have an interest in a return, but here we are.
M: What are you looking forward to most about being back in charge of the Irish?
J: Changing to culture and the narrative around this program, this is a blue-blooded CFSL team, one with three championships and the longest win streak in history. It’s a name that needs to be feared, not looked at as a bye week.
M: Is there something specific (other than the championships) that you hope to duplicate in your next run as AD?
J: Restoring the Aura of this team as the team to beat every single week
M: As ADs, we are always looking to learn something new, even about ourselves. Is there something that you learned in your time at LSU that you will bring back to South Bend with you?
J: LSU taught me so much about how to build a team from next to nothing in this day and age. But man, my time at Florida State was priceless. Learning from Tom and seeing how he runs things is something I’ll carry everywhere.
Finally, I gave Josh an open forum. I asked him if there was anything he wanted to say, anything he wanted to get out to the CFSL community. What he had to say was fairly simple. But to the ADs and coaching staffs across the league that will line up against Wookie and his Fighting Irish, we have been warned and put on notice.
Josh: To everyone reading, including those recruits, this isn’t the Notre Dame of the past couple [of] seasons. We will be ready, and we will punch some teams in the mouth. This is my baby, and we will be back on top very soon.
I want to take a minute to thank Josh for taking the time out of his day to answer some questions for me. He is someone that I have always respected as an AD and have gotten the privilege of calling games in the booth with him. He is a very deserving HOFer, and I look forward to seeing what he does in South Bend this time around.
