Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/421584
UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE M ajor League Baseball calls it the "Hot Stove League." NASCAR calls it the "Silly Sea- son." Notre Dame football calls it "A Way Of Life." These annual periods of rumors and speculation about the future plans of athletes, recruits, coaches and even race car drivers are just a part of everyday life in today's sporting world, especially for the Irish head football coach. Even limited success at Notre Dame, no matter how fleeting, attaches an Irish coach to almost every high-profile job opening in the country, and Brian Kelly is no different. At the same time Kelly endures one of the toughest stretches during his five years here — rock bottom coming in a 43-40 overtime loss to Northwestern Nov. 15 — numerous publications and Internet posts are reporting that Kelly remains a hot coaching commodity even as his team went cold. Hours after Florida fired head coach Will Muschamp Nov. 17, Las Vegas gave Kelly 6-to-1 odds to take the Gators job next season. Kelly was listed second in line behind only Mississippi head coach Hugh Freeze (5-to-1). Florida won the Urban Meyer sweepstakes over Notre Dame in 2004. Expectedly, Kelly deflected any in- quiries last week about his interest in another job, saying he's focused only on turning things around during the final three games of this Notre Dame season. "I'm hoping to hold on to this job," Kelly said, only half jokingly. "That would be good for me." Deflection or not, the buzz of Kelly leaving Notre Dame is out there. Rumor Mill Churning Around Brian Kelly Numerous media outlets have reported that Kelly is a candidate for the vacant head coaching position at Florida. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA