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The top five Notre Dame football head coaches of all time

By Corbin Whitney

23 Nov1996: Head coach Lou Holtz of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is carried off the field by his team after defeating the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 62-0 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Allsport
23 Nov1996: Head coach Lou Holtz of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is carried off the field by his team after defeating the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 62-0 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Allsport /
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5. Brian Kelly (2010 – Present) 

Notre Dame football
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 29: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish takes the field with his team before the game against the Clemson Tigers during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Overall Record: 60-35

Win Percentage – .632

Consensus All-Americans (ND Only) – 6

National Titles – 0

NFL Draft Picks – 39

Length of Tenure – 12 Seasons (When contract ends)

When it comes to Brian Kelly — who began his coaching tenure at Notre Dame in 2010, while he may not have any National Titles, he has reached the BCS Championship Game (2012) and CFP (2018). Looking at his record at Notre Dame, you would think really, so this is what it has come to?

The majority of Notre Dame fans know that his wins from both the 2012 and 2013 seasons were vacated, due to academic misconduct. However, most people in the Irish Community still count them. With those wins his overall record would rise to 81-35, while his winning percentage would move up to .698.

Due to the fact that the NCAA does not recognize these wins, I decided it would be best not to include them.

According to irishsportsdaily.com, under Kelly, 39 players have been selected in the NFL Draft which ranks 3rd best among the coaches listed in this article.

While at ND, Kelly has had six consensus All-Americans, which ranks last out of the coaches listed in this article.

For his overall record and breakdown by season and list of his six consensus All-Americans, go to sportsreference.com.

Last, but not least is his tenure at Notre Dame, currently he is going into his 10th season as head coach, but his contract goes until the end of the 2021 season, which would make it 12 seasons. There have also been talks of him extending it further. If this is the case and he eventually does, he could hold the longest, tenure as head coach in Notre Dame history.

Kelly’s average rank was 4, which was the highest out of all five coaches listed.

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