Odds released on next Notre Dame head football coach

NS_headshot_clearbackgroundby:Nick Schultz•11/30/21•

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It’s safe to say Notre Dame was one of the more surprising coaching openings this year. The oddsmakers are now weighing in on who could replace Brian Kelly in South Bend.

Fighting Irish defensive coordinator appears to be the favorite at +100 — or even money — according to SportsLine. Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell is the second-favorite and Iowa State coach Matt Campbell comes in with the third-lowest odds. Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald (+900) also comes in on the list.

Here’s the full list:

  • Marcus Freeman +100
  • Luke Fickell +200
  • Matt Campbell +500
  • Pat Fitzgerald +900
  • Mark Stoops +1000
  • Jeff Brohm +1500
  • Matt Rhule +1800
  • Bob Stoops +2000
  • Urban Meyer +2500

Freeman appears to be a strong internal candidate, but it’s not a sure thing he’s staying at Notre Dame. The Athletic reported Tuesday morning that Kelly is trying to take Freeman and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to LSU with him. If that happens, these odds are all but certain to change.

History would repeat itself in a way if Fickell comes in. Remember: Kelly came to Notre Dame from Cincinnati in 2009. Fickell has done a great job with Cincinnati, putting the Bearcats in contention for the College Football Playoff. They’re undefeated heading into the American Athletic Conference championship and were No. 4 in last week’s CFP rankings.

Campbell is another hot name getting thrown around. The Iowa State coach has is 42-33 since taking over in Ames in 2016, including 31-23 in Big 12 play. In 2020, Campbell led the Cyclones to an 8-1 Big 12 record and a Fiesta Bowl victory. This year, Iowa State went 7-5 overall and 5-4 in conference action.

Those three are the most-reported names in Notre Dame’s search. Other notables names on this list — particularly Fitzgerald, Matt Rhule, Bob Stoops and Urban Meyer — would be interesting choices if Notre Dame goes in that direction. But another potential candidate, Mark Stoops, agreed in principle to a contract extension at Kentucky Tuesday afternoon.

Report: Brian Kelly plans to raid Notre Dame for top assistants

Brian Kelly is officially headed to LSU, meaning he has to fill out a staff. Based on a report from The Athletic, Kelly reached out to a key Notre Dame assistant about following him to Baton Rouge.

Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman has been viewed as a name to watch in Notre Dame’s surprise coaching search. But The Athletic’s Pete Sampson reported Tuesday that Kelly is hoping to bring the former Cincinnati defensive coordinator with him to LSU — with quite a payday in store.

But Freeman isn’t the only Notre Dame assistant Kelly is hoping to bring to LSU. The Athletic’s Matt Fortuna reports Fighting Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is also on Kelly’s wish list.