Kelly joined theGrand Valley State University staff in 1987 as a graduate assistant and defensive backs coach forTom Beck and became the defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator in 1989.[9][10][11] Kelly took over as head coach in 1991.[10] In his final three seasons theLakers went 41–2, at one point winning 32 consecutive games.[12] The Lakers went 14–0 in 2002 en route to their first national title and went 14–1 in 2003 when they claimed their second national championship.[13][14] Kelly was named theAFCA Division II Coach of the Year after each of these championship years.[15]
In his 13 years as head coach at Grand Valley State, the Lakers won five conference titles and made six Division II Playoff appearances.[16]
The2001 Grand Valley team set 77 NCAA, GLIAC, and school records, including the all-time Division II scoring record, averaging 58.4 points per game.[17]
Kelly's record in 13 years at Grand Valley State was 118–35–2.[18]
Kelly inherited a team with limited success.Central Michigan had won more than three games only once in the previous four seasons.[20] CMU finished with a 4–7 record in 2004.[21]
In his third season, the Chippewas posted a 9–4 record under Kelly en route to winning theMAC Championship overOhio and qualifying for theMotor City Bowl.[23][24] At the end of the 2006 season, Kelly left to accept the Cincinnati coaching vacancy three days after CMU won the 2006 MAC Championship. Jeff Quinn was named the interim for Central Michigan's contest in the Motor City Bowl againstMiddle Tennessee. Kelly's record at Central Michigan in three seasons was 19–16.
In an unusual move, Cincinnati elected not to appoint an interim coach and asked Kelly to assume his duties immediately by coaching the Bearcats in their bowl game. Central Michigan was also preparing for a bowl appearance, so while Kelly was in Cincinnati preparing the Bearcats, much of his staff remained at Central Michigan to coach the Chippewas. Following Central Michigan's 31–14 win in theMotor City Bowl on December 26, most of his staff joined him in Cincinnati, where they went on to coach Cincinnati to a 27–24 victory overWestern Michigan University inthat year's International Bowl on January 6.[26][27] Cincinnati's victory gave Kelly the unique distinction of having defeated the same team twice in a season as coach of two different teams (Central Michigan had defeated Western Michigan 31–7 earlier that season).[28]
In hisfirst full season, Kelly led Cincinnati to a competitive position in the Big East; the Bearcats' second ever 10-win season (its first since 1949); and a top-25 ranking.[29][30][31] On December 5, 2007, Kelly was namedBig East Coach of the Year after leading the Bearcats to a 9–3 record.[32] Coach Kelly later led the Bearcats to a 31–21 victory in thePapaJohns.com Bowl overSouthern Miss.[33]
In2008, Kelly led Cincinnati to its first ever outright Big East title with key wins over #20West Virginia and #20Pittsburgh.[34][35] The Bearcats had never defeated either team in Big East conference play. Kelly also became the first coach to win all three of the Bearcats' traveling trophies—[citation needed] theVictory Bell (Miami [OH]),the Keg of Nails (Louisville), and the River City Rivalry Trophy (Pitt). The Bearcats played in theOrange Bowl versus theACC champion, #21Virginia Tech on January 1, 2009, but lost 20–7.[36] He won Big East Coach of the Year for the 2008 season.[37]
After beginning the2009 season unranked in all polls, Kelly'sBearcats reeled off 12 straight victories and finished the regular season undefeated.[38] Going into the bowl season, they were ranked #3 in the BCS Standings[39] and faced theFlorida Gators in theSugar Bowl. Kelly did not coach the team in the 51–24 loss to the Florida Gators because of his departure to Notre Dame.[40]
Among the honors that Cincinnati football achieved in 2009 was the highest academic rating among teams in the top 10 of the current BCS standings, according to the 2009 Graduation Success Rates, released Wednesday, November 18, by the NCAA.[citation needed] Cincinnati, which was fifth in the BCS standings, checked in with a 75 percent NCAA graduation rate and a 71 percent federal government rate, the only team in the BCS top 10 to surpass the 70 percent plateau in both.[citation needed] He won Big East Coach of the Year for the third time.[12] In addition, he won the Home Depot Coach of the Year.[41]
Kelly finished his tenure at Cincinnati with a 34–6 record. He finished second in school history in wins.[42]
In December 2009, Kelly agreed to replaceCharlie Weis asNotre Dame's head coach.[43] On December 10, Kelly announced that he had taken the position atNotre Dame.[44] He made the decision not to coach the Bearcats in the Sugar Bowl on January 1, 2010, which the Bearcats lost in a blowout to the University of Florida Gators.[45][46]
In 2010, Kelly beatPurdue 23–12 in his first game at Notre Dame but lost toMichigan 28–24 the following week.[47][48] In the following game, they lost on a fake field goal in overtime againstMichigan State 34–31.[49] His team lost again at home against #16Stanford before beatingBoston College to put the Irish at 2–3.[50][51] On October 9, Kelly led the Fighting Irish to a 23–17 win overPitt, snapping Notre Dame's 2-game losing streak to the Panthers taking the Irish to a 3–3 record on the season.[52]
In late October, Declan Sullivan, a student videographer, was killed during practice when the hydraulic lift he was using collapsed due to high winds. Kelly acknowledged it was his decision to hold practice outdoors that day.[53] The University was fined $77,500 by the Indiana Occupational Health and Safety Administration for safety violations related to the incident.[54]
Kelly led Notre Dame to a 44–20 win overWestern Michigan to extend the Irish's winning streak to three games.[55] The next week they facedNavy, losing 35–17 to drop to 4–4 overall.[56]
When the Irish facedTulsa, they were upset 28–27.[57] They sent out second-string quarterbackTommy Rees who threw an interception with 30 seconds left in the game as the Irish had driven to the Tulsa 28-yard line and a potential game-winning field goal attempt.[58] Two weeks later Notre Dame played against No. 15Utah, who was heavily favored. Utah was leading 3–0 early, but a special teams touchdown after a deflected punt and three Rees touchdown passes lifted the Notre Dame lead to 28–3. The victory over Utah gave Kelly a 5–5 record.[59] Notre Dame followed that win up with a 27–3 victory overArmy to make Kelly and the Fighting Irish bowl eligible.[60] In the final game of the season, Notre Dame snapped an 8-game losing streak against its rivalUSC, winning 20–16 due to a strong defensive display, despite four turnovers by the Fighting Irish's offense.[61] Kelly's first Fighting Irish team was invited to play in theSun Bowl, where they beatMiami 33–17.[62]
In 2011, Notre Dame returned numerous starters from the previous year and was thought to be in contention for a BCS bowl bid.[63] However, in the opening game againstSouth Florida, Notre Dame outgained its opponent 508–254 in yardage but lost 23–20 due to five turnovers (most within scoring range).[64] The next week the Irish built a 24–7 lead against its rivalMichigan but lost yet again 35–31 due to five turnovers.[65]
The following week the Irish defeated #15Michigan State 31–13; the one-sided victory over the Spartans was the first of four wins in a row until theUSC Trojans came to South Bend.[66][67] The Fighting Irish were behind early in the game but were driving toward an apparent tie when a fumbled snap on the Trojan three-yard line was returned by USC for a touchdown. Notre Dame never recovered, turning the ball over three times in the loss.[68]
Notre Dame then went on its second four-game win streak until losing to #4Stanford 28–14 in the regular season finale.[67][69] At 8–4, the Irish secured a bid to theChamps Sports Bowl, where they playedFlorida State.[70] Against Florida State, Notre Dame again built a lead (14–3 after three quarters) but lost 18–14 due to three crucial turnovers, ending the season with an 8–5 record.[67]
Notre Dame opened their 2012 season with a specialseason opener inDublin,Ireland. In the game, they defeatedNavy 50–10.[71] Notre Dame won their week 2 game againstPurdue at home, winning 20–17, on a field goal by sophomoreKyle Brindza. In week 3, Notre Dame defeated #10Michigan State by a score of 20–3.[72][73] In week 4, #11 Notre Dame defeated #18Michigan by a score of 13–6, recovering six turnovers in the process.[74] The Irish defeatedMiami, #17Stanford, andBYU before playingOklahoma.[75] At 7–0, Notre Dame traveled toNorman and defeated #8Oklahoma 30–13, only the fifth home loss for the Sooners under Bob Stoops.[76] On November 3, the Irish narrowly avoided an upset by beatingPittsburgh 29–26 in three overtimes. Notre Dame had rallied from a fourth quarter deficit of 14 points to tie the game late in regulation.[77] On November 10, #4 ranked Notre Dame traveled toBoston College and faced a team known for spoiling Notre Dame perfect seasons. Notre Dame won 21–6, not allowing Boston College to score a touchdown and improving to 10–0.[78] On November 17, Notre Dame went undefeated at home for the first time since 1998 with a 38–0 victory overWake Forest.[79] On November 18, following the losses of #1Kansas State and #2Oregon, Notre Dame was voted the #1 team in the nation for the first time since 1993 and was #1 in theBCS rankings for the first time ever.[80] With a 22–13 defeat ofUSC, Notre Dame finished the regular season 12–0.[81] On Monday, January 7, 2013, Kelly and the Fighting Irish lost, 42–14, to theAlabama Crimson Tide in the2013 BCS National Championship Game.[82] Kelly's Irish finished the season ranked #3 in the USA Today Coaches poll and #4 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.[83] In 2014, Notre Dame discovered that an athletic trainer had provided impermissible help to eight players during this and the following season. Notre Dame reported this violation to the NCAA, and was then controversially forced on November 22, 2016, to vacate all of their 2012 (and 2013) victories,[84] finishing the season with an adjusted record of 0–1, after the NCAA rejected Notre Dame's appeal on February 13, 2018.[85] Kelly earned AFCA Coach of the Year, AP Coach of the Year, Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, Bear Bryant Coach of the Year, Walter Camp Coach of the Year, and Home Depot Coach of the Year for his 2012 season.[86][87][88][89][90]
The Spring of the 2013 season saw Notre Dame lose its starting quarterbackEverett Golson for academic violations[91](later revealed to be cheating on a test[92][93]) leading Brian Kelly to name Tommy Rees as the starting quarterback.[94] Notre Dame opened the season playingTemple and won 28–6.[95] The following week was againstMichigan in Ann Arbor[96][97] with Notre Dame losing 30–41. Due to academic violations, Notre Dame was controversially forced on November 22, 2016, to vacate all nine of their 2013 victories,[84] finishing the season with an adjusted record of 0–4, after the NCAA rejected Notre Dame's appeal on February 13, 2018.[85]
In 2014, #17 Notre Dame started off the season with a 48–17 victory overRice.[98] In the next game, they defeatedMichigan by a score of 31–0.[99] The team won their next four games to go to 6–0 and a #5 ranking. The Irish dropped their matchup with #2Florida State 31–27.[100] The Irish closed the season by losing four of the next five games before upsettingLSU 31–28 in theMusic City Bowl to finish 8–5.[101][102]
Notre Dame started the season with a #11 ranking in the AP Poll.[103] They opened their 2015 season againstTexas with a 38–3 win.[104] During the game, starting running backTarean Folston sustained an injury to his right knee ending his season.[105] In the following game againstVirginia, starting quarterbackMalik Zaire suffered a broken ankle[106] leading toDeShone Kizer finishing the game for Notre Dame. Kizer remained the Notre Dame quarterback for the rest of the season, a campaign in which the Irish won 10 games against 3 losses, the latter including a loss to #7Ohio State in theFiesta Bowl.[107][103]
Notre Dame's season started with #10 ranking in the AP Poll. Their first game was a back-and-forth 2OT 50–47 loss toTexas.[108] Kelly's Irish lost three games in which they held a double-digit first-half lead, while also losing three games to teams who were not bowl-eligible in 2016.[109] In particular, Kelly faced criticism after a 10–3 loss toNC State. In this game, Kelly called 31 passing plays inHurricane Matthew, resulting in 17 incompletions, five sacks, and only 113 yards of total offense.[110] Notre Dame brought about a change in their defense by firing their defensive coordinatorBrian VanGorder after a 38–35 home loss toDuke.[111] In 2016, Notre Dame finished 4–8, which was its worst record in a decade.[112]
The Irish opened the 2018 season at home againstMichigan and won, 24–17.[119] The Irish then won the remainder of their regular season games, including victories over #7Stanford, #24Virginia Tech, #12Syracuse, andNorthwestern.[120] This led to Notre Dame's first undefeated regular season since 2012.[121] They were ranked #3 in the nation by the College Football Playoff committee as of December 2, 2018, and selected to play in theCollege Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic againstClemson on December 29, 2018.[122] Notre Dame's undefeated streak came to an end after losing to Clemson 30–3 to finish the season at 12–1.[123] He was named AP Coach of the Year and Home Depot Coach of the Year for the 2018 season.[124][90]
Kelly and the Fighting Irish started off the season with a #9 ranking in the AP Poll.[125] Notre Dame won their first two games before dropping a 23–17 result to #3Georgia.[126] Notre Dame won their next three games before dropping a 45–14 game to #19Michigan.[127] Notre Dame closed out the regular season with victories in their last five games.[125] Notre Dame won theCamping World Bowl 33–9 overIowa State.[128]
In response to theCOVID-19 pandemic and thecancellation of regular season scheduled games, Notre Dame joined the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in football for a single season and played a full slate of conference matches.[129] The Irish won all ten of their games, including a mid-season contest against perennial conference power and top-rankedClemson. The Fighting Irish defeated the Tigers 47–40 in 2OT.[130] However, Clemson defeated the Irish in a rematch in theACC Championship Game 34–10.[131] He was named as the ACC Coach of the Year.[132] Notre Dame qualified for theCollege Football Playoff as the #4-seed.[133] In the College Football Playoff Semifinals againstAlabama at theRose Bowl, Notre Dame lost 31–14 to give Kelly a 10–2 mark in the 2020 season.[134]
In Kelly's 12th season, the Fighting Irish were ranked in the top 10 after a playoff appearance in 2020.[135] However, they struggled in their first two games, beatingFlorida State 41–38 andToledo 32–29 before winning overPurdue 27–13 and 18th-rankedWisconsin atSoldier Field 41–13.[136][137][138][139] Following a 24–13 loss to #7Cincinnati, Kelly helped lead the Fighting Irish to a seven-game winning streak to finish the season.[140][135] After finishing the regular season with eleven wins and one loss, Kelly resigned from his position at Notre Dame in order to become the head coach of theLSU Tigers football team.[141]
Kelly finished his tenure at Notre Dame with a 92–39 record.[n 1]
On November 30, 2021, Kelly was named the 33rd head coach atLouisiana State University (LSU), replacingEd Orgeron.[142][143] Kelly cited "looser academic restrictions, less program oversight, wanting to be with the best" and "the commitment to excellence, rich traditions, and unrivaled pride and passion of LSU Football" for the move.[144][145]His contract more than tripled his previous salary, from his 2021 salary of $2.67 million to $9 million in 2022.[146][147]
Kelly made his LSU debut in a 24–23 loss to theFlorida State Seminoles in New Orleans where a potential game-tying kick to send the contest to overtime was blocked by the Seminoles.[148] He won his first game with LSU in the following game, a 65–17 victory overSouthern.[149] The win over Southern started a four-game winning streak for the Tigers, which was snapped against #8Tennessee.[150] Following the Tennessee game, LSU went on a five-game winning streak, which included a 45–20 victory over #7Ole Miss and a 32–31 down-to-the-wire overtime victory over #6Alabama.[150][151][152] Despite a loss toTexas A&M to finish the regular season, LSU won the SEC West.[153] In theSEC Championship against #1Georgia, LSU lost 50–30.[154] In theCitrus Bowl, LSU defeatedPurdue 63–7 to give Kelly a 10–4 record in his first season with the Tigers.[155] In the game, LSU set new Citrus Bowl records for most points scored (63), largest margin of victory (56), and total offensive yards (594).[156] The Tigers finished with a #16 ranking in the final Associated Press poll.[150]
Kelly and the Tigers started the 2023 season with a #5 ranking in the AP Poll.[157][158] LSU dropped the season opener to #8 Florida State 45–24.[159] LSU won three consecutive games before losing to #20 Ole Miss 55–49.[160][161] Following another three-game winning streak, which saw LSU defeat previously-undefeated Missouri 49–39, the Tigers lost 42–28 to Alabama.[160][162][163] The Tigers finished out the regular season with another three-game winning streak to set up aReliaQuest Bowl matchup with Wisconsin.[160] LSU defeated Wisconsin 35–31 to give Kelly a 10–3 finish to the 2023 season.[164]
Kelly entered his third season as the Tigers head coach with LSU ranked 13th in the preseason AP Poll.[165][166] He lost his third season opener with the Tigers to the USC Trojans 27–20.[167] He led the team to a 8–4 regular season mark, which included a win over Ole Miss.[168] The Tigers defeated Baylor in the Texas Bowl 44–31.[169]
On October 26, 2025, Kelly was fired as head coach at LSU, a day after the Tigers lost at home toTexas A&M, 49–25. LSU had begun the season with 5–3 record overall and a mark of 2–3 in SEC play.Frank Wilson, the team's associate head coach and running backs coach, was appointed interim head coach. Kelly finished his tenure at LSU with a record of 34–14 in four seasons.[170]
^abKelly resigned prior to the bowl game to become the head football coach at Cincinnati.Jeff Quinn was appointed interim head coach, and led Central Michigan to a win in theMotor City Bowl. The Chippewas finished the season with an overall record of 10–4.
^abcdKelly resigned prior to the bowl game to become the head football coach at Notre Dame.Jeff Quinn was appointed interim head coach, and led Cincinnati to a loss in theSugar Bowl. The Bearcats finished the season with an overall record of 12–1. Cincinnati was ranked no. 9 in the final Coaches Poll and no. 8 in the final AP poll.
^abcdKelly resigned prior to the bowl game to become the head football coach at LSU.Marcus Freeman succeeded Kelly as head coach, and led Notre Dame to a loss in theFiesta Bowl. The Fighting Irish finished the season with an overall record of 11–2. Notre Dame was ranked no. 9 in the final Coaches Poll and no. 8 in the final AP poll.
^abcKelly was fired after the first eight games of the season.Frank Wilson was appointed interim head coach.
^Lev, Michael (November 27, 2010)."Final: Notre Dame 20, USC 16".Orange County Register.Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. RetrievedApril 2, 2023.
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