(Correction): Brian Kelly Named Notre Dame Coach

Cincy getting a taste of its own medicine. They signed Kelly away from Central Michigan before their Bowl game. Now it happens to them.

It's just a part of the game now. I don't like it either but we can't fault Kelly...it's a dream job for him that he's earned. The huge layoff before the Bowl games is really to blame. The schools need to be recruiting for next year RIGHT NOW...meaning they need to have their new coaches in place. If we didn't have to wait a month after the last game for the Bowls, coaches wouldn't have to move before they're finished their seasons.

This isn't something that can be fixed easily, but the best solution would be to start the season a month later to eliminate the layoff before the Bowls. We KNOW the Bowls aren't moving back a month, the TV networks would not allow it...New Year's is their time to show Bowl Games.

Cincy getting a taste of its own medicine. They signed Kelly away from Central Michigan before their Bowl game. Now it happens to them.

It's just a part of the game now. I don't like it either but we can't fault Kelly...it's a dream job for him that he's earned. The huge layoff before the Bowl games is really to blame. The schools need to be recruiting for next year RIGHT NOW...meaning they need to have their new coaches in place. If we didn't have to wait a month after the last game for the Bowls, coaches wouldn't have to move before they're finished their seasons.

This isn't something that can be fixed easily, but the best solution would be to start the season a month later to eliminate the layoff before the Bowls. We KNOW the Bowls aren't moving back a month, the TV networks would not allow it...New Year's is their time to show Bowl Games.How about a moratorium on recruiting from Dec1 to Feb 1. Done. No falling behind. While we're at a playoff system would make things better too. Less teams waiting a month in between games. Why hasn't anyone thought of a playoff before? I must be a genius.

if the NCAA had any balls, they would put a stop to this. whats the big deal until waiting for the completion of all the bowl games, until having discussions for a new hire?

Like Buster said, it's all about recruiting

Full Disclosure: I am not unbiased here. Many of my teachers and student life co-workers at my college are very close to Brian Kelly, because they worked with him for a decade. I am also a Notre Dame fan, and rooted heavily for Cincinnati these past three years. It was pretty well known that, as long as Notre Dame still had interest in him (because they inquired on Kelly at the end of 2008), this move was inevitable. I will still be pulling for them to take the Sugar Bowl, unlike GMScud.

Both Kelly and Swarbrick would have absolutely preferred to have waited until January to get this done, but at those major schools like Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, USC, Florida, Va. Tech..etc, that's just not realistic. It's the athletic director's job to fill the position as quickly as possible, and once you've started the interviewing candidates, you can't ice everyone while you wait for the Sugar Bowl to get played so we can commence the inevitable.

The alternative would have been even worse, IMO: keep Weis as a lame duck coach and go to a bowl game, and then do the contract behind the backs of everyone and under the table, and then fire Weis after Christmas, run a quasi interview process, and hire Kelly the day after the Sugar Bowl.

That's not any more fair to the Cincinnati players, and it wouldn't be fair at all to Brian Kelly. This was done in the best way possible, IMO. If he's going to take the job, take it, and root for Cincinnati to complete their season, but don't waste their time coaching them while also calling recruits to come to ND.

if the NCAA had any balls, they would put a stop to this. whats the big deal until waiting for the completion of all the bowl games, until having discussions for a new hire?

It'd be pretty tough for good coaches to move jobs then. Having your program dormant and without a head coach until mid-January would be a major blow to recruiting. Most AD aren't going to sit and wait for a coach to available.

Full Disclosure: I am not unbiased here. Many of my teachers and student life co-workers at my college are very close to Brian Kelly, because they worked with him for a decade. I am also a Notre Dame fan, and rooted heavily for Cincinnati these past three years. It was pretty well known that, as long as Notre Dame still had interest in him (because they inquired on Kelly at the end of 2008), this move was inevitable. I will still be pulling for them to take the Sugar Bowl, unlike GMScud.

Both Kelly and Swarbrick would have absolutely preferred to have waited until January to get this done, but at those major schools like Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, USC, Florida, Va. Tech..etc, that's just not realistic. It's the athletic director's job to fill the position as quickly as possible, and once you've started the interviewing candidates, you can't ice everyone while you wait for the Sugar Bowl to get played so we can commence the inevitable.

The alternative would have been even worse, IMO: keep Weis as a lame duck coach and go to a bowl game, and then do the contract behind the backs of everyone and under the table, and then fire Weis after Christmas, run a quasi interview process, and hire Kelly the day after the Sugar Bowl.

That's not any more fair to the Cincinnati players, and it wouldn't be fair at all to Brian Kelly. This was done in the best way possible, IMO. If he's going to take the job, take it, and root for Cincinnati to complete their season, but don't waste their time coaching them while also calling recruits to come to ND.

nice post, great points. i still feel for the players when this stuff happens but it does happen

his players are furious because he was telling them that he was very happy at cinci and he wasnt going anywhere, etc. he hyped up cinci as a final destination job, and then turns around and takes the nd job. thats fine, just dont bs your own players the whole time, apparently he told them he wasnt going anywhere as recently as the pitt game...

his players are furious because he was telling them that he was very happy at cinci and he wasnt going anywhere, etc. he hyped up cinci as a final destination job, and then turns around and takes the nd job. thats fine, just dont bs your own players the whole time, apparently he told them he wasnt going anywhere as recently as the pitt game...


And at the end of the day, I think this is one of the reasons why Notre Dame won't dramatically better their recruiting. Programs take time to turn around and I wonder if Kelly, as good of a recruiter as he's been, will run into credibility issues down the road. Personally, I think the program is still suffering somewhat, perception wise, from the firing of Ty Willingham.

We'll see though.

And at the end of the day, I think this is one of the reasons why Notre Dame won't dramatically better their recruiting. Programs take time to turn around and I wonder if Kelly, as good of a recruiter as he's been, will run into credibility issues down the road. Personally, I think the program is still suffering somewhat, perception wise, from the firing of Ty Willingham.

We'll see though.

kelly's recruiting has been average at best. this is or was only his 3rd year, he has been coaching mostly with players from a different regime. none of cinci's recruiting classes have been near the top 25. cinci only has one 4 star commit at this point in time, even with the #3 team in the country. no 5 stars, and has only had a handful of 4 stars since hes been there. i guess he just gets the most out of the players at hand, which is a great trait, and im sure that if he had stayed at cinci as the program got bigger he would have gotten better recruits.