Brian Kelly might be on the move again, and if that door opens, Notre Dame should be ready to kick it wide open.
With Mike Locksley out at Maryland, Kelly has a legitimate path back to coaching in 2026 for the first time. That possibility has already put his name in the conversation for the Terrapins job, and if the fit becomes real, Notre Dame ought to be waiting with a home-and-home offer in hand.
A number of analysts see Kelly as a strong Maryland target simply because he would bring instant name value. USA Today’s Paul Myerberg laid out the appeal this way: “Kelly can get back into the Power Four and won’t face championship-or-bust expectations,” USA Today ’s Paul Myerberg recently wrote.
“Kelly also has a connection with prominent Maryland booster in Under Armour founder Kevin Plank, whose company sponsored Notre Dame. While the idea that Maryland would hire Kelly would’ve been laughed away even just two years ago, the Terrapins would be ecstatic to hire a coach with his résumé.”
There’s still a lot that would need to happen before Kelly actually ends up in College Park. But if that becomes reality, the Irish should move fast.
The scheduling case is easy to make. Notre Dame would get a chance to line up against a former coach who is still deeply disliked in South Bend, and it would also check a big box for the ongoing push to schedule more Power Four opponents. Maryland may not be the kind of marquee heavyweight that some fans want, but it still fits the bill.
That matters because the bigger-name programs are not exactly eager to line up with Notre Dame. The Irish and their critics may want tougher opposition than the Atlantic Coast version of Purdue, but plenty of those Power Four schools remain hesitant to sign on.
Even if the Big Ten goes through with a rule that forces member schools to play 10 P4 opponents each year, teams like Oregon and UCLA are still unlikely to line up one of the best Power Four programs in the country.
Maryland, though, could see the value in it. A deal with Notre Dame would give the Terps a chance at a meaningful payday, especially with Kelly involved.
Brian Kelly versus his old school would be a major attraction, and if he manages to make Maryland respectable quickly, the draw gets even stronger. The game in Maryland would almost certainly bring a healthy wave of Irish fans too, eager to watch their former coach take a beating.
There’s also the simple matter of keeping a Big Ten connection alive. A series with Maryland would preserve that thread for Notre Dame even if the matchup comes against a program on the eastern edge of the conference footprint.
If Kelly lands the Maryland job, this becomes a no-brainer for the Irish.
In Other News...
Former Irish Star Cole Kmet Now Faces A Frightening Bears Concern
Cole Kmet has become one of the most familiar Notre Dame names in the NFL, so any scare involving the Bears tight end lands with extra weight in South Bend. During Chicagos game against the Patriots, Kmet went down with a non-contact knee injury after an 8-yard catch and was carted off the field, a sequence that immediately shifted attention from the game itself to his status.
The Bears ruled him out for the rest of the afternoon, and head coach Ben Johnsons early read on the injury did not sound encouraging. Quarterback Caleb Williams also showed the reaction you would expect from a teammate watching the situation unfold, voicing concern and support for Kmet as Chicago now waits for more clarity on a development that could carry real consequences beyond just one game. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame's Biggest Offensive Debate Is Back After The BYU Loss
The BYU loss brought a familiar Notre Dame problem right back into focus: when the field gets compressed, the offense still looks far too ordinary. Inside the red zone, the Irish have too often settled into a narrow menu of ideas, and the result has been the same frustrating pattern of stalled drives and missed chances when points are there to be taken.
Mike Denbrock now faces the kind of adjustment that can shape the rest of the season, because the issues are not just about execution. Notre Dame has to find better ways to use its tight ends and attack the back of the end zone if it wants the offense to become more dependable in high-leverage moments, and the next few games will show whether those schematic changes are coming. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Faces A Playoff Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The College Football Playoff race is already starting to tilt on the margins, and Notre Dame sits right in the middle of it. With conference champions shaping the field and at-large bids likely to be fought over by a crowded group, every result from the sports biggest contenders is carrying extra weight. Recent injuries, key matchups and the latest run of results have only tightened the picture, giving the selection debate a little less room for error than fans might like.
For Notre Dame, the concern is not just staying in the conversation but avoiding the kind of blemish that can make the committees job easier elsewhere. Miami, Georgia and several other playoff-level teams are still in the mix, and upcoming games could shuffle the standings again before anyone gets comfortable. The Irish do not need help becoming relevant in this discussion, but they may need a cleaner finish than some of the teams around them if they want the path to remain open. [Read more 🡒]