Luke Fickell, Urban Meyer and 5 replacements for Brian Kelly as Notre Dame head coach

4. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame DC

If Notre Dame does not want to go with the outside hire and to keep things in-house, defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman could be a logical choice for them.

Freeman, a former linebacker, built up his coaching resume after being hired by Fickell to serve as his defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Cincinnati in 2017. Perhaps his greatest success came in the 2020 campaign, as Cincinnati allowed an average of 16.8 points per game in the team’s road to an AAC Championship Game victory and a Peach Bowl appearance.

This year, Freeman joined Kelly’s coaching staff in the same roles he had with the Bearcats. The Fighting Irish allowed an average of 339.1 total yards of offense, ranking 29th in the nation.

Promoting Freeman is a win-win for Notre Dame. He brings stability to the program and coached under Fickell.

3. Matt Campbell, Iowa State head coach

Matt Campbell has been on nearly everyone’s radar for big openings not just in college, but in the NFL as well. And for good reason.

Campbell received his first head coaching gig back at the tail-end of the 2011 season with Toledo. From 2011 until 2015, the Rockets had a cumulative record of 35-15 and earned two bowl game victories.

In 2016, Campbell was hired to coach the Cyclones, and the rest was history. After a 3-9 first season, Iowa State finished above .500 in the following five campaigns. His best year came in 2020, where the Cyclones held a 9-3 record and went on to defeat the Oregon Ducks 34-17 in the Fiesta Bowl.

For his success at Iowa State, Campbell even reportedly received a massive eight-year contract offer from the Detroit Lions to be their head coach, per CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd. Campbell turned it down.

There is perhaps no job more tempting to take than Notre Dame. Given Campbell’s success at Iowa State, they should seriously consider bringing him in to replace Kelly.