Notre Dame Football: Looking back at Brian Kelly’s run to 100 wins

Notre Dame Football: Looking back at Brian Kelly’s run to 100 wins

How did we get here

The team that he inherited was bare bones, coming off the disastrous Charlie Weis era. That was after the frustration of the Tyrone Willingham era, which was preceded by the slide known as the Bob Davie era. In total it was about 17 years since Notre Dame had last had a great team when Kelly took over.

During that time the game changed. Almost everyone is on TV, devaluing the NBC deal. Athletic facilities make Vatican City look modest. Notre Dame’s name had lost a lot of its once lofty weight.

It was Kelly’s job to convince players to come to an academically-minded school, and with fewer benefits on campus for student athletes than most power schools. That’s not an easy thing to do, and at times it seems as if Kelly is still figuring things out in recruitment, but he has made the most out of that talent. He’s produced two undefeated regular seasons, and another two with more than 10 wins.

Yes, Kelly has still come up short in big games, but he’s made Notre Dame one of the great programs in college football again. He’s made them a top-15 team annually, with top-5 potential. After the three coaches before Kelly, no Irish fan could possibly have wanted or expected more.

If Kelly brings Notre Dame their first major bowl win since the 1994 Cotton Bowl, or even their first National Championship since 1988, he has to be considered a top five coach in Notre Dame history.

This would, of course, mean bumping out one of the five current legends that make up the top 5 coaches in Notre Dame history. So, which coach would that be?