Report: LSU targeting big-name college football head coach for vacancy

On3 imageby:Griffin McVeigh11/29/21

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According to The Athletic, LSU is targeting Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly as their next headman. After missing out on Lincoln Riley to USC, the Tigers are continuing to go big-name hunting.

Kelly has been the head coach for the Fighting Irish for 12 seasons and is closing on win No. 100 with the program. He’s been to two College Football Playoff semifinals and appeared in the 2012 national championship. There has been nothing but consistency at Notre Dame with Kelly, winning at least 10 games over the past five years.

Before Notre Dame, Kelly was at Cincinnati, where he went 34-6 overall. He has never coached in the southern part of the country, staying in the midwest for his entire career. LSU and the SEC would be a step up from the old Big East/football independence.

Kelly would just be the latest name to be linked with the LSU job. Riley was seen as a real possibility before he headed out west. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has been mentioned, as has Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops.

Joel Klatt praises Brian Kelly at Notre Dame

This season was supposed to be a rebuild year for Kelly and Notre Dame. They were coming off a College Football Playoff appearance but lost a number of key contributors. Instead, the Irish are a couple of results away from making another appearance.

Fox’s Joel Klatt recently praised Kelly, saying he has done an excellent job this season. The two met earlier in the season in Chicago, where Klatt reflected on their conversation.

“Even though I had called Brian Kelly’s games before, I had never sat with him and had a meeting with him before a big game. I wanted to take advantage of that opportunity. I was blown away by what seems to be this transition. A guy, very confident in who he is, where he is and how his teams are going to win. And he was very straightforward with me that they were going to do everything they could, and put together a game plan but this was not his year.”

Klatt then elaborated on exactly what Brian Kelly meant.

“I was almost taken back,” Klatt continued. “He was not trying to say they were going to lose to Wisconsin, he was just trying to say this was not the team they were building towards.”

“So in a development year, here the Irish are at 10-1,” Klatt added.

“This guy has done a remarkable job and I don’t think guys like Brian Kelly get the credit they deserve. Here’s this guy at Notre Dame that has won more games than anyone in that position in the school’s history, he also has more 10-win seasons than any coach in their history.”