Notre Dame could attend the College Rugby Round and hire a new coach in the same season.
The 2021 college football coaching carousel continues to have some wide surprises, right? Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, among others, reports that LSU is expected to hire Notre Dame Brian Kelly long-term and an announcement could be made on Tuesday.
THAN: Why did Brian Kelly leave Notre Dame? LSU reported the hiring of Fighting Irish coach to the SEC
Source: LSU is expected to hire Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly as the school’s next head coach. An announcement could come as early as tomorrow.
– Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 30, 2021
Kelly overtakes Knute Rockne as Notre Dame’s all-time winning coach in 2021. Kelly is 113-40 with the Irish. Notre Dame finished 11-1 in the 2021 regular season and had a third chance to make it to the College Football Knockout Qualifiers. Will Kelly end the season if he takes the LSU job?
It’s one of those thorny questions, but the roster substitutes for the Irishman to lead with another coach who could challenge for the playoffs.
That Notre Dame list will be short, with four main contenders for the job:
THAN: Brian Kelly announced he will never leave Notre Dame last week, now head to LSU
Luke Fickell, Cincinnati coach
Fickell would be the top candidate for the job, and SN outlines all the reasons why ahead of this year’s Irish vs Bearcats showdown. Fickell was 47-14 in five seasons with the Bearcats and had a program culminating in being the first Group of 5 school to reach the knockout stages. Fickell was an assistant at Ohio State from 2002-16 before that. He has strong recruiting relationships in Ohio, and that helped build the Cincinnati roster. He can bring those to Notre Dame, and the transition will be easy if he can keep defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman. An extra bonus? Notre Dame’s opening goal next season was at Ohio State.
Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame defense coordinator
Freeman, 35, could be a candidate for jobs at Notre Dame and Cincinnati. Per Notre Dame beat writer Pete Sampson of The Athletic, there were talks at Notre Dame to raise his profile.
He was defensive coordinator under Fickell with the Bearcats from 2017-20, and Notre Dame is 11th in FBS in defensive scoring with 18.3 points per game. Freeman is also a former Ohio State player with strong ties to the West, and he was running to become LSU’s defensive coordinator last season. It’s a huge step from coordinator to head coach, especially at a green-blooded program like Notre Dame. Freeman calculates it will benefit whether he stays with the Irish or replaces Fickell at Cincinnati.
THAN: Is there a viable path for Notre Dame to the College Football Qualifiers? correct
Urban Meyer, Coach Jacksonville Jaguars
Can you imagine if this was Meyer’s return to college football? Meyer called Notre Dame a “dream job” on many occasions, and it is a The scenario has been going on for many years. Meyer was the coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who went 2-9 in his first season. How long will that NFL last? There’s no doubt Meyer can coach at the college level.
He’s 187-32 through stops at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State. He has won three national championships and is one of the greatest recruiters of all time. However, the relationship with the Gators and Buckeyes ended unsatisfactory, and Meyer declined to speculate that he would be interested in USC. But this is Notre Dame Cathedral. Is it still a dream job?
Matt Campbell, Iowa State Coach
It’s likely that Notre Dame will need another strong contender, and Campbell will most likely be that guy. He’s done an outstanding job in building Iowa State into a Big 12 contender. The Cyclones had a disappointing 7-5 season, but Campbell played in the most dominant Division III show in the nation. at Mount Union of the Ohio Athletic Conference. He’s a master culture builder and we’ve been wondering over the past few cycles what he’d do with more resources. This will be an opportunity to learn, and we wouldn’t be surprised if Campbell keeps Notre Dame running.
