Brian Kelly’s path back to college football has taken a real step forward.
The former LSU and Notre Dame head coach has now interviewed for Maryland’s vacant Big Ten job, moving his comeback bid from speculation into a formal search process. On3’s Pete Nakos reported Saturday that Kelly is becoming one of the leading names as Maryland looks for a replacement for Mike Locksley.
Kelly has not coached since LSU let him go last fall. This season, he has stayed around the game as a CBS analyst and a weekly SiriusXM co-host, but he has also made clear he is open to returning if the situation is right.
He addressed the Maryland opening during an Oct. 27 appearance with Danny Kanell on College Sports on SiriusXM, and he pointed to both the conference and the recruiting footprint in College Park.
“From a conference standpoint, the Big Ten obviously has proved itself to have that kind of appeal, right?” Kelly said.
“With Maryland, it is a fertile recruiting area. There’s no doubt that that DMV area is a really good recruiting area.
I think they’ve done great things in terms of upgrading facilities.”
Maryland is not the only school Kelly has had on his radar. He has also expressed interest in Florida State.
Two days after the Seminoles fired Mike Norvell, Kelly told SiriusXM listeners, “When you’re talking to an unemployed football coach, every job’s a great job, you know? But Florida State, look, I’ve got a great history with Florida State, great games.”
The Maryland opening appears to match what Kelly has said he wants next. He has said he would prefer a place where he can build over time instead of walking into a job loaded with immediate title pressure, and that fits a Terrapins program that is not expected to contend for a Big Ten championship right away.
Kelly’s résumé is long and heavy on wins. He has 297 career victories and two Division II national titles at Grand Valley State. He spent 12 seasons at Notre Dame before heading to Baton Rouge ahead of the 2022 season.
LSU moved on from him after a 34-14 run that included 10-win seasons in 2022 and 2023. The Tigers still owe him a $54 million buyout, giving him the freedom to be choosy about his next stop.
“I’m in a very good position that I don’t have to coach again unless it’s the right coaching position, but I want to coach,” Kelly said.
Maryland fired Locksley on Oct. 21, four days after a 37-30 loss to Rutgers left the Terrapins at 2-5 and 0-4 in Big Ten play. The school owes him nearly $10 million.
Interim coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim opened with a 20-17 loss to Illinois, then followed that with a 34-29 win at Purdue that snapped a 13-game Big Ten losing streak.
Nakos’ early hot board also included former UCLA coach Chip Kelly and UNLV head coach Dan Mullen. Former Michigan interim coach Biff Poggi has also told The Baltimore Sun that he wants the job.
Maryland enters Saturday’s game against Wisconsin at 3-6 overall and 1-5 in Big Ten play as the search continues.
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