Irish trying to host game at Soldier Field

The Fighting Irish have found a home away from home. Notre Dame may be coming to Chicago as soon as 2012. Athletic director Jack Swarbrick confirmed on Monday what has long been in the works: Soldier Field is the target venue for an off-site home game slot yet to be filled two seasons down the line. “We were solely focused on getting (2011) closed out, but having now achieved that we will turn in earnest to nailing down the off-site game for ‘12,” Swarbrick said. “Our starting point for that effort is to see if we can find the right opponent and date for a game in Chicago.” – Chicago Tribune

Notre Dame coaches serving dual roles

Notre Dame assistant football coaches Chuck Martin and Mike Elston will be serving dual roles for head coach Brian Kelly. Martin, the defensive backs coach, was named recruiting coordinator, and Elston, the defensive line coach, was named special teams coordinator Thursday. “Chuck will do a great job coordinating our recruiting efforts because he is very persistent and very organized,” Kelly said in a statement. “With Mike directing our special teams, I expect us to have a similar philosophy as our offensive and defensive units this season and that is to be well coached and aggressive.” Martin worked under Kelly at Grand Valley State and took over when Kelly left for Central Michigan. “We didn’t have a coach with the title of recruiting coordinator at Grand Valley State, so, in essence, I was the recruiting coordinator,” Martin said. “We’re going to be looking for the best players in the country, and we’ll continue to recruit nationally.” – Journal Gazette

Cincinnati Hires Butch Jones

Butch Jones will likely follow in the footsteps of Brian Kelly. According to several reports, Jones will leave Central Michigan University, as Kelly did in 2006, and take the job at Cincinnati. The Morning Sun of Mt. Pleasant , MI reports that Jones and Cincinnati were negotiating a contract Tuesday night. Cincinnati offensive coordinator Jeff Quinn, the man charged with leading the Bearcats until a new coach is named, was also hoping to get the job. It would stand to reason that if Jones was hired this week, he would be with the Bearcats in New Orleans New Years day for the Sugar Bowl matchup against Florida. It remains to be seen what the future for the remaining staff at Cincinnati will be, but the Chicago Tribune reports that some of Kelly’s staff could join him at Notre Dame, after the Sugar Bowl. The paper also reports that Quinn interviewed for the head coaching job at the University of Buffalo. – DSI

Temple’s Al Golden, East Carolina’s Skip Holtz candidates for Cincinnati job

With Brian Kelly now at Notre Dame, and the University of Cincinnati head-coaching job vacant, the search for Kelly’s replacement has officially begun. Possible candidates already working in the system include associate head coach and defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs, and offensive coordinator and offensive Line coach Jeff Quinn.East Carolina University’s Skip Holtz, and Temples Al Golden are two other possible replacements. Holtz is the son of the famous Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, and is known for rebuilding the East Carolinas football program from scratch. Holtz inherited a program with just three wins in 25 games, however in the last three years he led the Pirates to three winning seasons, three bowl appearances and two consecutive conference USA championships. Like Holtz, Golden is known for rebuilding a program from scratch. Golden is in his fourth year at Temple and inherited a 3-31 program that had not seen a bowl game in 30 years. Golden slowly rebuilt the program and in 2009 he led the Owls to the Eagle Bank Bowl and their first winning record since 1990. – The News Record

Brian Kelly’s home vandalized

There’s another reason Brian Kelly is excited to return to Notre Dame for his first official day on the job Monday: Apparently the people of Cincinnati can’t wait until he leaves. A post on Kelly’s Twitter page Sunday morning indicated he received quite the cool welcome as he spent the weekend wrapping up loose ends in Cincinnati. “Spent most of the morning on the phone with recruits,” Kelly wrote. “House got egged last night and the sign on the lawn wasn’t a FOR SALE sign.” – Chicago Tribune

Kevin Sumlin Declines Cincinnati Interview

Houston coach Kevin Sumlin has declined an interview request for the vacant Cincinnati job. “After speaking with representatives with the University of Cincinnati yesterday and today, I declined an interview,” he said in a statement. “I am looking forward to our first bowl practice later this afternoon and later honoring our seniors at the football banquet tonight.” The Bearcats are in the midst of leadership change after former coach Brian Kelly left the program for Notre Dame on Thursday. Kelly posted a 34-6 record in three years at the school and has guided Cincinnati to consecutive BCS bowl appearances in the past two seasons. – ESPN.com

Brian Kelly upsets Cincinnati players

Brian Kelly held a meeting with Cincinnati players and told them he had accepted the Notre Dame job. Receiver Mardy Gilyard, who walked out of that meeting, said some players were upset about the situation. “He went for that money, that wasn’t no time for me to be in there,” Gilyard said. “I don’t want to hear it. I’m thoroughly disgusted with this situation, that it lasted this long. I heard everything I needed to hear, and that was, ‘I accepted the Notre Dame job.’” Gilyard said he said he got the news about Kelly from a friend who texted him before the banquet. “I feel like there was a little lying in this thing, I feel like he’s known the whole time. I kind of had a gut feeling that he was going to stay because he told me he was going to be here. But it is what it is. He made a business decision,” Gilyard said. – Cincinnati Enquirer

Notre Dame Hires Brian Kelly

Notre Dame has settled on Brian Kelly as the man who can restore its faded glory, just as he turned Cincinnati into a national title contender. Just 10 days after Charlie Weis was fired, it’s up to Kelly to revive the fortunes of a team that just completed the worst decade of football in the history of the storied program with a 70-52 record and three losing seasons… Kelly, who earned the Home Depot National Coach of the Year award Thursday night, signed a five-year contract and will be introduced at a news conference Friday afternoon. “I am very pleased that a thorough and extensive search has led us to a new head coach in Brian Kelly, who I am confident will help us accomplish our goal of competing for national championships,” Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick said in a news release. Thursday night, Kelly attended the Bearcats team banquet, where he eventually told players he was leaving. – ESPN

Notre Dame may have interviewed Brian Kelly before Pitt game

Brian Kelly didn’t interview Tuesday in New York to become Notre Dame’s next football coach. But then, Kelly already may have known enough about the job to take it. Kelly had a meeting last week about the opening with representatives of Notre Dame before Cincinnati’s Big East championship game against Pittsburgh, the Tribune has learned. Talks progressed well enough that the official announcement Kelly will be Charlie Weis’ replacement could come as early as Friday — any time after Cincinnati’s football banquet Thursday night. – Chicago Tribune

Brian Kelly and Notre Dame close on deal

Brian Kelly didn’t interview Tuesday in New York to become Notre Dame’s next football coach. But then, Kelly already may have known enough about the job to take it. Kelly had a meeting last week about the opening with representatives of Notre Dame before Cincinnati’s Big East championship game against Pittsburgh, the Tribune has learned. Talks progressed well enough that the official announcement Kelly will be Charlie Weis’ replacement could come as early as Friday — any time after Cincinnati’s football banquet Thursday night. The informational session with Kelly was facilitated by the Parker Executive Search firm of Atlanta. Notre Dame used it to gauge the interest of potential candidates, a source said. The interest from both sides was mutual, but Kelly didn’t want his involvement to distract his Bearcats before the biggest game of the season. Cincinnati beat Pitt 45-44 to earn the school’s second straight BCS bowl berth. – Chicago Tribune

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