When Whitehall native Pat Welsh was working as an offensive graduate assistant under then-offensive coordinator Chuck Martin at Notre Dame, disagreements would sometimes surface among the higher-ranked members of the offensive staff about which coverage scheme or defensive alignment the Irish had just faced the previous play.
Martin, though, always had an ace in the hole: Welsh.
“I’d just look at Pat, and Pat would tell me exactly what it was, and he was right 100 percent of the time,” Martin said. “We’d watch the tape on Sunday and I’d just look at him. He always broke the disagreements. He’s always had an incredible vision and mind for the game.”
It’s smarts like that which helped Welsh score a professional milestone this fall, winning the Mid-American Conference championship in his first season as offensive coordinator at Miami University.
Welsh previously made enough of an impression on Martin that he’d brought Welsh to South Bend from their previous stop at Grand Valley State, where Martin was head coach.
Martin said Welsh was originally recommended to him by Tony Annese, who’s now head coach at Ferris State, where he won the 2022 Division II national title. Annese also crossed paths with Welsh at Whitehall.
“Tony called me up and said, ‘I have this young guy that helps me coach, and he’s too good for high school,’” Martin said. “I liked and trusted Tony, so if that guy says he’s good, I’ll bring him over. I didn’t have any money available, so when Pat came in I told him, ‘Tony says you’re good, so if you want to, we’ll work you really hard and won’t pay you anything.’ And he said, ‘Sounds great, Coach.’”
Martin didn’t hesitate to bring Welsh to his next stop when the Miami RedHawks hired Martin as head coach after the 2013 season, Welsh’s second at ND.
Welsh took a job as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator for Martin’s Miami program that first year, and remained in the position for eight seasons. He often delivered top results in the latter role; his first class at Miami was rated tops in the MAC by 247Sports, and he brought in four more classes rated in the league’s top three in that span, only once finishing in the bottom half of the league.
Due to his success, in 2022 his recruiting coordinator title was upgraded to general manager. Then, after that season, then-offensive coordinator Eric Koehler departed to take an assistant’s role at Minnesota.
There was never a question in Martin’s mind who his first call to replace Koehler would be. As Welsh recalled, Martin met with Welsh about the job the next day, and the following day Welsh was introduced as the new coordinator.
“It was a no-brainer to make that move,” Martin said. “The play design and practice is all really important, obviously, but it comes down to being in charge of half your football team...He just understands how I like to run football teams. You can have a good coach that has good ideas, but there are situations where I want things a certain way and they might not understand it.”
From outside appearances, it seemed like an ideal situation for Welsh to step into. The RedHawks had been eyeing the 2023 season as a potentially special one for some time, knowing the experience and talent they would have on hand, as well as a favorable schedule.
Things mostly started off according to that plan; after a season-opening loss to Miami (FL), Martin’s team ripped off six victories in a row, five by double-digit margins. Then, during a homecoming loss to Toledo, starting quarterback Brett Gabbert was knocked out for the season with a leg injury. Suddenly Welsh’s job was a whole lot harder, as backup quarterback Aveon Smith was forced into action.
Smith has plenty of talent, but his inclusion presented challenges due to his different skill set - he is more of a dual threat compared to Gabbert’s pocket passing - and his lacking the kind of in-game savvy that can only come from game reps he hadn’t yet received.
“Brett Gabbert makes things so much easier for you as a coordinator,” Welsh said. “He’s so smart and so prepared. In the offseason my first spring and summer as offensive coordinator, he was working step for step with us...The challenges come when you lose your starting quarterback and flip ideas to Aveon. We changed a little of our offense midseason to suit him, and that was a challenge.”
Already a strong defensive team, Miami leaned on that side of the ball to rebound from losing that Toledo game and earn wins in its next four games to secure a spot in the MAC title game. As fate would have it, the Rockets awaited for a rematch.
The game was a defensive battle, and the RedHawks got the ball holding a 16-14 lead with just under seven minutes to go. Welsh knew his team needed a big drive to secure victory.
Welsh and Smith teamed up to supply that drive, which was capped when Smith made the correct read to hand the ball to star running back Rashad Amos up the middle on third-and-6 for an 11-yard touchdown to ice the game.
“We hadn’t done a ton on offense,” Welsh said, recounting the drive. “We kind of methodically worked down the field. We made a call, gave AV a chance to read it, and punched it in late to seal it. That drive, the calls and communications, stick out forever, more because of the moment than anything else.”
The RedHawks have been among the MAC’s most consistently successful teams since 2018, Martin’s fifth season. They went 6-6 that year and haven’t had a losing regular season since, winning MAC titles in 2019 and this season.
It’s the kind of resume that usually gets assistant coaches hired away, but Welsh, as well as defensive coordinator Bill Brechin, have been Martin deputies for over a decade apiece. In addition to being evidence of loyalty, the close relationship both coordinators and Martin have is an in-game asset.
“Their ability to figure out what we need and knowing how I think and react to things and what I’m good at and not good at (is huge),” Martin said. “Pat is so good at filling in the cracks. He knows I’ll ask for something before I ask for it. He just knows how I want to be. He’s three steps ahead in having practice the way we want it, having game reps the way we want them.”
Welsh said his relationship with Martin is a huge reason he’s stayed at Miami rather than pursuing other offers.
“There’s loyalty and then whatever this is,” Welsh smiled. “He’s put so much time and energy into me, I try to show up every day to reciprocate. I try to be the best assistant coach I can be for him.”
Welsh added that Oxford is an ideal college town for a young coach, especially one with a family; he and wife Jacqueline have two children, a son and a daughter.
“A lot of our coaches have kids and the community is so small, everyone really looks out for each other,” Welsh said. “The teachers know when there are home games and when there are road games, and they talk about it with my son because he’s invested.”
Now that he is a coordinator, the next logical step in Welsh’s career track is becoming a head coach. Welsh is locked in on another season at Miami in 2024, but logic dictates if the RedHawks continue to succeed, other programs may seek Welsh out. It’s an opportunity he would welcome once the time is right.
“I think Coach Martin does such a great job grooming us along, and we’re in those discussions with him,” Welsh said. “He wants our opinion because he wants to see how our heads work in that job. I’d love the opportunity to run and develop a program. In a lot of ways, it would be a lot like what Coach Martin has done.”
Welsh naturally has a busy schedule these days and said his last time back in Whitehall was spring 2022, when he had the chance to speak with the Vikings and coach Tony Sigmon. It brought back the memories he had of playing for guys like Andy Malbouef and Annese, who were also influential in inspiring Welsh to coach himself. He noted his pride at what Christian Subdon, whom Welsh coached in all three of Subdon’s sports early in the latter’s Whitehall career, has accomplished as a coach and administrator.
“The last couple years, what Coach Sigmon has done in the program with the runs they’ve had, they’ve been fun to follow,” Welsh said. “My parents still follow them and my dad still goes to a lot of games, so I get a lot of mid-game updates and texts.”
Martin makes clear how thankful he is for Welsh being in his corner as a coach, but said after many years working together, he’s even more impressed with Welsh as a person.
“On top of being smart and gifted, he’s probably one of the top five human beings I’ve worked with,” Martin said. “All the kids and families respond to him because when it comes to dealing with people, he’s as professional and genuine as anyone you’ll ever meet. That’s rare in any profession, but to have him in the building every day, it’s a better place because of it.
“Anyone you’d talk to about Pat Welsh would echo that. As good a coach as he is, he’s a better person.”
