Would Brian Kelly leave Notre Dame for the NFL?

Jan 5, 2013; Miami FL, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly during media day for the 2013 BCS Championship game at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Kelly has won 28 games in his three seasons at Notre Dame, which ties Dan Devine’s school record of most wins by an Irish head coach in their first three years.  Kelly’s 122 wins are third behind Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops and Texas’ Mack Brown for the most FBS wins since 2001.  He has won everywhere he has gone; Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati and now has won 20 of his last 24 games coaching for the Fighting Irish.

One can only wonder about the opportunities that could arise for Kelly in the future.  Leaving for another college powerhouse will not likely happen.  Although the pressure can tighten more than any other program in the country at Notre Dame, Kelly’s comfort level is at an all-time high.  The Irish just played in a title, Notre Dame is his alma mater and few can recruit with a name like Notre Dame.  With the successes of Pete Carroll at USC, Chip Kelly at Oregon, Greg Schiano at Rutgers, the NFL has been after hot-name college coaches and Brian Kelly is towards the top of that list along with A&M’s Kevin Sumlin.

Although Kelly passed on the NFL for now, job opportunities at the next level open quicker than most believe.  If the right position presents itself, you can only assume Kelly would give the opening some serious consideration like he did with the Philadelphia job.  For now, Brian Kelly is the head coach of Notre Dame.  What exactly does that mean?  That means continuing a winning tradition in South Bend and hopefully keeping young men on the right path towards a degree.

After Golson’s sudden dismissal from the university because of a rumored “academic code violation”, the Irish are left scrambling for an answer at the quarterback position.  Golson’s backup last season, Tommy Rees appears to be “the guy” for now, but the field appears to be wide open for Andrew Hendrix and Malik Zaire to compete and take the starting gig.  This issue just adds to a horrendous year so far for the blue and gold.  Let’s start this nightmare from the top…

Jan 7, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Everett Golson (5) scrambles against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first half of the 2013 BCS Championship game at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

January 7^th, 2013: The night of the National Championship Game against defending champion Alabama.  The Irish were never in the game, and got blown out of Sun Life Stadium, 42-14.  To make matters worse, emotional senior leader Kapron Lewis-Moore torn his ACL in the game.

January 10^th, 2013: Brian Kelly interviews for the head coaching vacancy for the Philadelphia Eagles, along with four-star linebacker Alex Anzalone decommitting from Notre Dame in light of the Kelly interview with the Eagles.

January 16^th, 2013: The Manti Te’o “hoax” was brought to the light all around the world.  Te’o’s “girlfriend” was a figure of someone’s imagination and Te’o became the focal point for jokes all over the internet.  The story was headline news literally everywhere and destroyed Te’o’s image and his NFL Draft stock.

February 14^th, 2013: Safety Jamoris Slaughter was denied a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA after tearing his Achilles tendon early in the season vs. Michigan State.  Slaughter was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round coincidentally in this year’s NFL Draft.

April 10^th, 2013: Former five-star prospect Davonte’ Neal transfers from Notre Dame to Arizona.

May 20^th, 2013: Speculations of high-profile defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes possibly decommitting from Notre Dame arise.

May 25^th, 2013: Sources confirm Notre Dame Quarterback Everett Golson is no longer enrolled at Notre Dame.

Granted, the season doesn’t start until late August, but this is not the first half of the calendar year the Irish were looking for.  There is plenty of time to adjust with the changes, but the nightmare for the Irish continues.

Vanderdoes put the cap on a tremendous recruiting class for Brian Kelly and the Fighting Irish.  The defensive line is the featured group heading into this season.  With NFL prospects such as Louis Nix III (or “Irish Chocolate” as he prefers) and all-world defensive end Stephon Tuitt, the addition of Vanderdoes could be flat-out scary for every Notre Dame opponent on the 2013 schedule and beyond.

But wait…

Feb 6, 2013; Auburn, CA, USA; Eddie Vanderdoes during interviews after announcing his intentions to attend Notre Dame on national signing day at Placer High School. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

What if Eddie Vanderdoes transfers?

Wait… what?

Recently, some issues about Vanderdoes have been brought to the spotlight and have ranged from character concerns to an academic issue. His father (also named Eddie) has been quoted as saying, “One thing I can tell you is grades or eligibility is not and has never been an issue.”

Vanderdoes’ coaches have raved to the media about his outstanding character and work ethic.  Placer High School head coach Juan Montoya said recently, “Absolutely he’s gold. He is a selfless teammate and is highly dependable. I love that kid.”

Prognosis: Vanderdoes’ commitment was a last minute event on Signing Day.  Every school made a huge push for this kid.  Being from California, obviously schools out on the coast like UW and SC threw the kitchen sink to get this 5-star caliber kid.  I think he’ll stay with the Irish and enroll in the fall on time.  This doesn’t seem like an Aaron Lynch issue about character or anything.  Fingers crossed, but a good chance he stays with ND.