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Brian Kelly gets vote of confidence from athletic director

By Brad Berreman

Oct 1, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly waits with his players before the game against the Syracuse Orange at MetLife Stadium. Notre Dame won 50-33. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly waits with his players before the game against the Syracuse Orange at MetLife Stadium. Notre Dame won 50-33. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have fallen from a preseason top-10 team to a 2-5 record so far, but head coach Brian Kelly is apparently in no danger of losing his job.

The Notre Dame football team had high hopes heading into this season, which was backed up with a top-10 preseason ranking. A season-opening loss to Texas was a minor red flag, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. But the Fighting Irish have also lost to Duke, North Carolina State and most recently a Stanford team without star running back Christian McCaffrey on their way to a 2-5 start.

Head coach Brian Kelly’s post game demeanor, play-calling and handling of Notre Dame’s quarterback situation has brought worthy criticism, while also raising a question about his job status beyond this season.

Speaking to ESPN.com’s Matt Fortuna this week, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick has attempted to squash any speculation about Kelly’s ongoing employment.

"“Brian will lead this team out of the tunnel opening day next year,” Swarbrick told ESPN.com."

Kelly has a 57-28 record into now his seventh season at Notre Dame, and he signed a six-year contract extension that will take him through the 2021 season last January.

One positive in Kelly’s corner is the team’s defensive improvement in recent weeks, which seems to have been spurred by the decision to fire defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder after the loss to Duke on Sept. 24. Notre Dame has gone from 103rd to 64th nationally in total defense over their last three games, with notable improvements in scoring defense and yards per play allowed since Greg Hudson was put in charge of the defense.

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A bye week is a convenient time to offer a vote of confidence in a coach, when scrutiny often gets put on the back burner, but Swarbrick has done it. That being said, completely missing a bowl game seems like the only circumstance that would lead to Kelly being fired after the season. It will take four wins in the final five games to absolutely assure a trip to a bowl, starting with a rekindling of the 1980’s “Catholics vs. Convicts” rivalry on Oct. 29 against Miami.

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