Feb. 6, 2026, 7:03 a.m. ET<\/p>\n
He previously coached at LSU and Vanderbilt, reuniting with former Notre Dame coach Clark Lea.<\/p>\n
It has been quite the offseason for former Notre Dame players and coaches, with another getting a chance to coach at the highest level<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jimmy Thompson, who played for the Irish from 2015-2018, went into coaching directly starting at his high school alma mater of Hinsdale Central in Illinois. He\u2019d quickly find himself back at the collegiate level, as he became a quality control assistant for LSU<\/a> in 2020.<\/p>\n Thompson would make yet another move, this time to Vanderbilt, where he reunited with his former position coach Clark Lea<\/a>, who had just became the Commodores<\/a> head coach. He\u2019d work his way up again, starting as a graduate assistant for two years, then as an analyst then taking over working with the secondary as a senior defensive analyst.<\/p>\n His coaching rise continued on Thursday, as Matt Zenitz is reporting that the Los Angeles Chargers will hire him<\/a>, most likely to work with the defensive backs. Thompson makes yet another former Notre Dame player to coach in the NFL, as the Irish\u2019s coaching tree continues to grow.<\/p>\n Contact\/Follow us\u00a0@IrishWireND<\/a>\u00a0on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.<\/p>\n Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow Mike on X:@MikeFChen<\/a><\/p>\n