According to NBC, a press conference is imminent to announce that head coach Brian Kelly has signed a contract extension. Kelly arrived at Notre Dame in 2010, having spent the previous three seasons at Cincinnati with a record of 34-6. He led the Irish to a 7-5 record and a win over Miami in the Sun Bowl that year; in 2011 the team improved to 8-4, losing the Champs Sports Bowl to Florida State. Of course, in 2012 Notre Dame went undefeated and played for the BCS title, losing 42-14 to Alabama.
Overall Kelly is 29-11 at Notre Dame, and Saturday’s 28-6 victory over Temple was the 200th of his college coaching career.
No details about salary are available yet, but Kelly’s new deal is for 5 years and begins this season. The deal locks up Kelly through the 2017 football season. Kelly’s current deal was set to expire after the 2016 season. It seems that the Philadelphia Eagles interest in Kelly this offseason, has led to the new contract, and what should be a significant raise for Kelly.
Let’s just hope that Notre Dame has learned their lesson about long contract extensions.
“I’m really excited about our leadership, my opportunities to speak after the season on a couple occasions with Father Jenkins, have given me the energy and excitement that we can continue to build and grow this football program for years to come,” Kelly said during Notre Dame’s Training Camp.
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