Notre Dame is receiving overwhelming positive press on the hiring of Brian Kelly. Kelly will officially be introduced as the Notre Dame head coach later today, but here are some video clips and excerpts from some stories around the internet on the hiring.
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit thinks Kelly and Notre Dame are a great fit.
Lou Holtz thinks Kelly will do a tremendous job and that it was an excellent hire.
ESPN’s Brian Bennett says Notre Dame hired the right guy.
He has the uncanny ability to make players believe just about anything. He convinced tight end Connor Barwin to move to defensive end his senior season, and Barwin ended up leading the Big East in sacks and getting drafted in the second round by the NFL. He talked quarterback and Notre Dame transfer Demetrius Jones into playing linebacker. He even got Marcus Barnett to buy in to playing receiver and cornerback this season.
SI’s Stewart Mandel says Irish eyes are smiling upon hiring Kelly.
Will Kelly win at Notre Dame? It’s hard to imagine he won’t. He did so, and did so quickly, not just at Cincinnati but at Central Michigan (MAC championship in his third season) and Grand Valley State (consecutive Division II national titles, six playoff appearances in 13 years). The spread-offense mastermind takes over a ready-made team that returns a touted quarterback (Dayne Crist) and a slew of offensive playmakers (Michael Floyd, Kyle Rudolph, Armando Allen, Robert Hughes). It’s not unreasonable to think Kelly can come in and make a major splash immediately, a la Weis in 2005, with a team that has suffered not just from bad coaching, but bad chemistry.
Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel says that Kelly has the right stuff for Notre Dame.
It’s why one of Kelly’s chief attributes should be so valuable – he knows how to win with other people’s players.
This isn’t Rich Rodriguez going to Michigan and demanding the roster change dramatically for him rather than he change even a little bit for it. Rodriguez wants to run the spread and the spread only and if that meant watching a guy such as Ryan Mallett, possibly the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL draft, transfer to Arkansas, then so be it.
Of course, so be it meant 1-7 in Big Ten play for the Wolverines.
Kelly has won with every kind of roster imaginable. He’s a coach, not a system. In Division II you adapt your game plan to your players because you can’t just go out and get the perfect group of players.
Eric Hansen reports that Aaron Taylor thinks Kelly is the coach that Notre Dame needs.
“When I was playing for Lou Holtz, there was a standard,” said Taylor, the 1993 Lombardi Award winner. “It wasn’t his standard. It was the Notre Dame standard. It was almost a mythical standard.
“And even when we won, there were times we got our (butts) reamed, because we weren’t living up to it. It was bigger than ourselves. It’s an obligation to the players who have gone before you and will come after you. And that’s been sorely lacking the past 15 years.
“From what I see in Brian Kelly, he’s the kind of man who can bring that back.”
Even Dennis Dodd thinks Notre Dame made a good hire and that Kelly will win at Notre Dame.
Why will Kelly succeed? Go back to the first line of this column. He has substance. The problem is that you can’t touch, hear or smell substance. For now, fans will watch NBC for it, fans will pay season-ticket money to watch it and media will flock to South Bend to write about it.
The rest is up to the latest cocky, Irish-Catholic offensive genius from New England coming off a string of championships.
This guy walked out on his team before a bowl game. That says alot about his lack of integrity.
I am very surprised that ND would even consider hiring someone with so little integrity. They are doing it with their eyes open so it is very clear that they are getting what they deserve.
Wonder who the OC is going to be now that Jeff Quinn has taken the Buffalo Head Coaching job?
No kidding! I thought the search for another head coach was stessfull. I’m dying to know who BK is going to bring in for the D-Cordinator postion too!
Mike please stop watching notre dame football you have no idea what you are talking about . you should start out watching some smaller school like maybe a high school until you build up some football knowledge. you think charlie and tate should stay? are you crazy? their stock is as high as it can possibly get . It’s call risk reward. Brady Quinn may not be tom brady but tom brady wouldnt be tom brady if he played on the browns either. He was lucky enough to step into a great situation with the Patriots a team that was already a playoff team. I dont see Matt Cassel doing anything this year after a great year last year with the Patriots. The fat man comment was bush league.
I agree. Mike, quit picking on Weis. He had his flaws but so does everyone. Pete Carroll allows cheating and tunrs a blind eye. All SEC coaches are into neo-slavery. Much bigger faults than anything attributed to Mr. Weis. It just didn’t work out. We all better hope we get second chances. Everyone needs them.
Regarding Quinn, he’s in a bad system. Brady almost never got looked at. Montana almost never got a look. Doug Flutie had to wait well beyond his prime to get an NFL job and still got shafted. Brett Favre was a complete bust in Atlanta.
Look most football coaches aren’t brilliant. I’vve never heard of anyone who didn’t make it in footbll joining NASA or inventing nano-probes. The more intelligent do something else. So let’s not assume that player development in the NFL is properly handled. It’s luck and hard work. Quinn has definitely shown the hard work. He now needs the luck.
If Weis goes to Chicago as rumored, or even back to New England, you can bet he’ll look to get Quinn under his wing. Then who knows.
QB is about the hardest spot to figure out in modern football. I’ll make comments about a player’s attitude, or ethics or morals, ( if public ), but regards to ability or performance? I’ll be a lot less definitive. Who knows how it will work out. Look in the mirror first.
Yeah, kick a man while he’s down, real classy brother.
I like the Kelly hire, he was 3rd on my list behind the pipe dreams of Stoops and Meyer, and he has a great track record.
I know nothing about this man but I still have to ask – does he sell us out for a better job offer before our season is over 3 years form now? If he wasn’t dedicated to Cincy what will dedicate him to us? Could he not have waited till after the bowl season? Just askin…….
What better job are you referring too? The NFL? ND had to get him in NOW.
You may not like CW, but he is MORE of a person that posters like Mike.(above) What good does it do to call CW the fatman? Absolutely none! As for Kelly, we will see in September.
Not so fast my friends. I do wish Kelly well and hope he succeeds but look at the Bearcat schedule. Not soo impressive – Big East football though ND has not beat a Big East team recently. I wish Claussen and Tate hung around to help the cause but I think the fatman is ill advising them on the NFL. And of course, the fatman has a case of sour grapes so sure he would advise them to leave for the NFL to leave us in a bind.
Didn’t Weis say a few years ago that Brady Quinn will be the next Tom Brady? No offense to Brady cause I like him but I rest my case on any advice that comes out of fatmans mouth. Good Luck Kelly, you bring a huge breathe of fresh air.
^^ that was me having a little friday fun ;)
Evan
The Mark May thing that is “awaiting moderation” .
Kelly will do well for ND and will figure out a defense that will work to Win games. He’s a great hire for ND. I have watched all of Cincy’s games for the past 3 years and have attended a number of ND games to watch this hiring scenario unfold.
And as far as Kelly’s skill at developing players’ character and intellect, don’t you worry: I believe he has an uncanny ability to bring out the best in his players and will make them succeed given their god-given talents. Mothers will love him as a recruiter, and so will the prospective athletes.
And FYI: Mardy Gilyard may not be as polished as some other student athletes, but he has developed immensely since his arrival at Cincy, and before too long you will see him surpass most of his peers. I’ll bet on it.
Just my humble opinion from an ND grad and Cincinnati resident.
HE WAS EMOTIONAL.
If he can turn around the defensive woes then he will be the right hire.
Did any of you see the interview from the Cincy WR Gilyard last night? A lot of the statements he said were correct. You could tell from the interview that Cincy’s standard for student excellence is lower than Notre Dame. Can Kelly bring in the student athlete into ND?
he wont be going after recruits that only cinci can get. he will have a much larger pool of athletes to choose from….it all balances out. not sure why everyone doesnt think he can do this….notre dame has been several coaches big break (holtz, ara, weis) and they were all great recruiters….holtz and ara had much lesser requirements at their previous schools as well
I agree that now Brian Kelly has a national network to recruit.
Still ND can’t get certain great players because they do not have the grades to get in. That gives some universities an advantage over ND because of their lower standards.
Not if you have a great coach
I don’t want to sound arrogant; however, ND gets who the want not the other way around. ESPN did a pole of top 200 Sophmores-Juniors around the country and over 82.03% stated ND would be their 1st choice. ND chooses not the other way around; as far, as the academics go I would rather have a smart player than a great player any day of the week. Now we have a coach your fears are respected; however, we have not had a coach since LOU. You will see. He was not my first Petersen was. I am HAPPY we did not wind up with Meyer “gouging a players eyes was a bit blown out of @#$^%#$^”
Peace,
WE ARE ND