Written by Ty Duffy at the Big Lead
Notre Dame is 2-5 in 2016, with wins over Nevada and Syracuse. After last week’s bye week to regroup, the Irish need to go 4-1 down the stretch to reach a bowl game. That’s a tough stretch that includes games against Miami, Virginia Tech, Navy, and USC. Notre Dame’s postseason chances appear slim.
Brian Kelly received a vote of confidence from Notre Dame’s AD. Though, the fact he needed one speaks to the situation’s urgency. We hear from Notre Dame how Kelly and the team “really care about each other and have a great relationship.” Then we see Notre Dame play like they quit on the coaching staff and Kelly throw his players under the bus afterward.
This season has not been a good look for Kelly, though parting with him is not so simple. He’s a proven head coach with 20-plus years of head coaching experience. He has worked his way up, winning at multiple levels. He got Notre Dame to a BCS title game and had them in the playoff mix last season. That said, he’s also had 8-4 or worse seasons in five of his seven years.
Notre Dame doubtless wants to keep Kelly if it’s tenable. But, how do fans and, more importantly, players and recruits react if Notre Dame finishes out 3-9? We’ve already had one recruit flip to Michigan,accuse Brian Kelly of being aloof, and assert he didn’t want to play for an “average” program.
The other part of Notre Dame’s calculus: who could they get to replace him? It’s hard to see Tom Herman lasting beyond LSU and a probable opening at Texas. Urban Meyer is not leaving Ohio State. The plausible candidates pool is not dry. But, there isn’t an immediate name that jumps out as better than Brian Kelly.
Les Miles [Unemployed]
Why To Hire Him: Miles has experience operating a program of Notre Dame’s magnitude. He would be great with the media. He would be a tremendous presence on the recruiting trail. People would be talking about Notre Dame football. It’s hard to see Miles taking a tire iron to one of his players at a post-game press conference.
Why Not To Hire Him: Nick Saban adapted. Les Miles, two years younger, could not. Miles is stubborn. He’s past 60. If “Miles plus an updated modern offense” was that simple, he would have made it work at LSU. Ed Orgeron is (or should be) embarrassing him right now.
Why He Would Take The Job: Miles said he wants to stay coaching. It’s hard to see a better job coming available for him than Notre Dame. If he can stomach rivaling his alma-mater, this seems like a deal that could happen.
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