Notre Dame football: 5 replacements for Brian Kelly as head coach

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are in need of a new head coach, now that Brian Kelly is expected to be hired at LSU. Here are some potential candidates.

If you thought silly season was done in college football following the news of Lincoln Riley jumping ship from Oklahoma to USC, you were mistaken. On Monday evening, Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel reported that the LSU Tigers are expected to hire Brian Kelly as their next head coach, with an announcement potentially coming as early as Tuesday.

With that, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are in need for a new head coach. It certainly won’t be difficult for them to find a suitable replacement, considering how illustrious the program is. But who really fits the bill to coach Notre Dame?

Here are five potential Brian Kelly replacement options for Brian Kelly.

5 potential candidates Notre Dame must consider for replacing Brian Kelly

Luke Fickell

This is perhaps the best possible option for the Fighting Irish. Luke Fickell has done nothing but succeed as head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Since being hired by Cincinnati in 2017, Fickell has had just one losing season and that was in his very first year. Ever since, the Bearcats have never lost more than two games in a single campaign. But perhaps his best success has arrived in 2021.

This year, Cincinnati is one of two undefeated teams remaining in college football, next to the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. With the Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes losing two games this season, the Bearcats are an AAC Championship Game victory away from clinching a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Notre Dame got a first-hand glimpse of what Fickell can bring to a program, as his Bearcats defeated the 24-13 earlier this year. If they can secure him to a deal, that would be quite the get for the university.