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

Jim Harbaugh met with Notre Dame reps

Multiple sources told the Sun-Times that Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh met Monday in Chicago with reps from the Atlanta-based Parker group to discuss the Notre Dame job. Harbaugh was in Green Bay, Wis., on Monday night to watch brother John coach the Baltimore Ravens in a loss to the Packers. Harbaugh refuted a report in the New York Times that he was scheduled to meet with Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick, who was in New York at the time. – Chicago Sun Times

Randy Edsall is Notre Dame’s backup plan

Despite Connecticut coach Randy Edsall’s name floating into the conversation again Wednesday, Brian Kelly remains the front-runner for the job. That said, Notre Dame is protecting itself against unforeseen problems in negotiations with Kelly by having Edsall as a backup plan, two sources familiar with the situation told the Tribune. According to the sources, Edsall is that fall-back, a solid choice full of integrity in case of a late snag in talks with Kelly. – Philadelphia Inquirer

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

Randy Edsall impresses Notre Dame boosters

Now that the regular season is complete, Notre Dame’s search for a new head football coach goes into overdrive with athletic director Jack Swarbuck poised to interview candidates as soon as today. Brian Kelly might have competition from within the Big East Conference. Other sources said that Connecticut’s Randy Edsall impressed several Notre Dame boosters with the way he handled the tragic mid-season stabbing death of cornerback Jasper Howard. – New York Post

Jim Harbaugh denies talking to Notre Dame

Standing on the sideline at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field looking cold and wearing a Stanford hoodie, Jim Harbaugh denied a New York Times report that he would interview for the Notre Dame job. ESPN’s Michelle Tafoya interviewed Harbaugh before the start of tonight’s game between the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens. Harbaugh’s brother, John, coaches the Ravens. “There’s no meeting,” Harbaugh said when asked if he would or had interviewed for the Notre Dame opening. “I haven’t talked to anyone at Notre Dame. I haven’t talked to anyone at Notre dame about a meeting. – Chicago Tribune

Pete Carroll denies Charlie Weis’ allegations

USC Coach Pete Carroll said statements about him that were attributed to former Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis on an Internet site were “untrue” and “irresponsible.” In a question-and-answer session with IrishIllustrated.com Senior Editor Tim Prister, the post said Weis was asked: “Is it frustrating to you Pete Carroll, for example, portrayed in one way ?” The post said Weis responded: “Let me ask you this question: You guys know about things that go on in different places. Was I living with a grad student in Malibu, or was I living with my wife in my house? You could bet that if I were living with a grad student here in South Bend, it would be national news. He’s doing it in Malibu and it’s not national news. What’s the difference? I don’t understand. Why is it okay for one guy to do things like that, but for me, I’m scrutinized when I swear. I’m sorry for swearing; absolve my sins.? “It’s untrue, it’s irresponsible, and it’s incredible he’d be talking about me like that,” Carroll said of Weis. – Los Angeles Times

Fulmer wants Notre Dame job

Phil Fulmer, the longtime Tennessee coach who was forced to step down last season, would like to return to college coaching, and a jobs he covets is at Notre Dame. Whether the interest is mutual remains to be seen as Notre Dame’s coaching search continued Thursday. ”I know he’s interested, and he’s an aggressive, relentless recruiter,” said recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, who works with Fulmer at CBS College Sports. ”He would bring in a real good staff, and he’s a relentless worker.” Fulmer had a 152-52 record during a 17-year stint at Tennessee that included a national championship in 1998. Fulmer has made no secret about his desire to return to coaching and has said he’ll only consider programs committed to winning national championships. The 59-year-old also has been linked to the opening at Louisville. – Chicago Sun-Times

Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly still in play at Notre Dame

On the coaching front, one prominent name that remains in play, University of Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly, told Bill Koch of the Cincinnati Enquirer on Tuesday that he has not been contacted by anyone from Notre Dame and will not deal with anything Notre Dame-related until after the Pitt game. The fifth-ranked Bearcats (11-0) visit 15th-ranked Pittsburgh (9-2) on Saturday, with the winner receiving the Big East’s automatic berth into the BCS. Kelly also told Koch that he has begun preliminary discussions with UC athletic director Mike Thomas about a new contract, which would be his third in three years. Kelly has a $1 million buyout in his current contract. – South Bend Tribune

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