Gerry Byrne, architect of a Notre Dame defense that perennially ranks among the best in college lacrosse, has been hired as the head coach at Harvard, according to multiple reports.

Byrne sent a message to Notre Dame players Saturday night informing them that he had accepted the job, according to Inside Lacrosse’s Ty Xanders.

The other candidates to replace the ousted Chris Wojcik were Lehigh head coach Kevin Cassese, Virginia assistant Sean Kirwan, Amherst head coach Jon Thompson, former Navy head coach Rick Sowell and Boston University head coach Ryan Polley, according to College Crosse’s Chris Jastrzembski. Polley signed a contract extension with BU on Friday.

Byrne, an assistant at Notre Dame since 2007, produced a defense that has ranked in the top five nationally seven times during his tenure in South Bend. The Irish have produced numerous defensive All-Americans under Byrne’s watch, most notably two time Schmeisser Award-winning defenseman Matt Landis.

Byrne is a Long Island native, but has ties to the New England lacrosse community. He was an All-New England defenseman at UMass in the 1980s and played for Major League Lacrosse’s Boston Cannons as the oldest active player in the league from 2000-2002. He was the head coach at Saint Anselm before arriving in South Bend for his second stint as an assistant under Kevin Corrigan at Notre Dame. Byrne coached there briefly (1989-1991) while earning his master’s degree.

Harvard has stumbled down the stretch in each of the last two seasons, going winless in April both years. The Crimson, who finished 5-8 this spring, last qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2014. They lost in the first round to Notre Dame.

Update
July 1, 2019, 12:15 p.m. ET

Harvard made it official Monday, announcing Byrne as the 18th head coach in program history.

“The future is bright for Harvard lacrosse,” Byrne said in the release.

Read more here.

We are thrilled to have Gerry Byrne lead our program as The Frisbie Family Head Coach for Harvard Men’s Lacrosse!

Story: https://t.co/4oQP9VTBA1#GoCrimson pic.twitter.com/GTJ8muWGcl

— Harvard M. Lacrosse (@HarvardMLax) July 1, 2019