Is Brian Kelly Set To Coach the Best Offense in Notre Dame History?

Fear not Irish fans, Brian Kelly will coach one of the best offenses in the country during the fall of 2010.

It is the Notre Dame opponents who will have to do all the worrying for the next six months as the season approaches.

A lot of ink has been spilled over the losses of Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate to early entry in the NFL draft. For those two just completed perhaps the best quarterback-wide receiver season in Irish history.

What’s more, Notre Dame has lost three offensive linemen (including both tackles) to graduation and the steady, as well as chain-moving receiver Robby Parris.

To the average fan these losses are a sure sign that Notre Dame will inevitably take a step back in 2010 and that new head coach Brian Kelly will have many problems in his first season in South Bend.

But hold that thought naysayer’s and take a look at the weapons still available for the Fighting Irish.

Up front, Notre Dame will be returning two experienced lineman in Chris Stewart and Trevor Robinson, who with the exception of the NFL-bound Eric Olsen, have been the best linemen for the Irish over the past couple seasons.

And while many observers are not elated over the return of occasional starter and underachiever Dan Wenger, Notre Dame still has a handful of quality and valuable four-star linemen ready to step in and contribute.

So while there is uncertainty abounding because the Irish will have to replace two tackles and possibly a third offensive line position, in terms of overall talent, Notre Dame is in a very good spot and envied by all but a dozen teams.

At quarterback, The Irish lose 2009 Heisman candidate Jimmy Clausen but his shoes will be filled by rising junior Dayne Crist.

Crist, a native Californian and five-star prospect like Clausen, has an incredible skill-set and has drawn comparisons to, and could be even better than, former record breaking Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn.

Crist is bigger than Clausen, has substantially more mobility, possesses a stronger arm and fits the mold of a Notre Dame student-athlete much better than his predecessor.

He also fits Brian Kelly’s new offense much better than the less fleet of foot Clausen.

Elsewhere, Notre Dame is stacked full of talent in the back field, wide receiver and tight end, on par with any team in the country.

Senior Armando Allen will likely start at tailback and has steadily increased his production over the past three years. With over 1,600 yards rushing and over 100 receptions through his career, Allen will be a multi-dimensional and much used weapon in Kelly’s offense.

Backing Allen up will be any number of talented runners including sophomore Cierre Wood, junior Jonas Gray and senior Robert Hughes. This group offers a little of everything and adds quality depth and skill to the position.

Hughes is the most experienced of the group and is a tough powerful runner, but may be utilized sparsely in short yardage situations or as a blocking full back only.

Jonas Gray has been lost in the shuffle over the past year, but he has shown the ability to be a threat both running and catching out of the backfield.

Cierre Wood was one of the most highly recruited backs in recent Irish history and after red shirting his freshman season, little is known about what he has to offer. Still, there is a growing consensus that Kelly has a lot of faith in him and that he may very well be in line to become the No. 1 starter in the future.

At tight end, Notre Dame has one of the premier talents in the country in junior Kyle Rudolph. Backing Rudolph up will be Mike Ragone, a player who filled in admirably as a starter last year and has growing confidence as a blocker and pass catcher.

But best of all, Notre Dame has a plethora of talent at wide receiver.

Even though the Irish lost the country’s best wide receiver in Golden Tate a year early to the NFL, they may still have the nation’s best wide out in Michael Floyd.

Floyd has little to no weakness in his game, and although he has been slowed by injuries during his first two seasons in South Bend, the Minnesota native has already compiled 92 receptions, 1,500 yards and 16 touchdowns in roughly 15 games time.

Brian Kelly will also welcome the services of senior Duval Kamara, sophomore Shaq Evans, junior Deion Walker, junior John Goodman and sophomore Roby Toma at the wide out position.

What’s more, the new Irish head coach has recently announced rising sophomore Theo Riddick will be making the switch from running back to receiver and will be competing for the slot position during the spring and beyond.

With Riddick’s brief flashes of brilliance last year as a true freshman and his overall skill set, Kelly will have yet another major weapon with which to work with in 2010.

Added to the mix is up and coming true freshman Tai-ler Jones, who is already flashing signs of brilliance and may be ready to contribute immediately in the fall.

Reality may not turn out this way, but the numbers and talent seem to suggest that Kelly will coach a highly potent offense, one that could be better than anything Charlie Weis led onto the field.

Kelly coached Cincinnati to over 38 points per game last season and developed two relatively unknown quarterbacks to these incredible stats:

304 for 462

65.8 percent

3,954 yards

39 touchdowns

8 interceptions

Plus, Cincinnati ran the ball more effectively than Notre Dame.

In big victories over UConn and Pittsburgh, Kelly’s Cincinnati Bearcats piled up 92 points, 782 yards passing, 300 yards rushing, four touchdowns through the air and six touchdowns on the ground.

In losses to those same two teams, Notre Dame mustered only 52 points, 612 yards passing, 189 yards rushing, three touchdowns through the air and two touchdowns on the ground (both quarterback sneaks).

Is it possible that Kelly will take Notre Dame’s offense to an even higher level than Charlie Weis?

Will the 2010 Fighting Irish be the most explosive and productive offense in school history?

I think there is a great chance of that happening.

There are four major reasons why.

First, it’s the obvious level of talent that is currently in place with a five-star wide receiver, tight end and quarterback surrounded by quality four-star players.

Second, the coaching should play a significant role. This includes everything from greater conditioning, mental toughness, attention to detail and a renewed sense of team effort instilled by Brian Kelly.

Also, the spread offense in this modern era tends to lend itself to scoring more points and racking more yards in the college game. Kelly’s goal is to get players open in space where they will have a physical advantage over almost every team the Irish play.

Third, the mobility of Crist at quarterback will be a god-send to the Irish running game and allow the team another weapon that didn’t exist last year and something that will keep more drives alive throughout the season.

And lastly, there has been a lot of talk about the difficulty of learning a new system, and rightfully so.

But I believe Notre Dame’s opponents will have a much more difficult time stopping a “new” Irish offense and there won’t be such a steep learning curve like there has been at Michigan the past two years.

The past two Irish coaches have come out on fire in their first seasons, and if Notre Dame student-athletes could learn a Charlie Weis system in a much shorter time frame back in 2005, then I see no reason why the 2010 squad cannot implement Kelly’s system and have it well oiled by the time Purdue comes to town in September.

Plus, unlike Michigan, Notre Dame should be wielding a well-balanced offensive attack (much like Oklahoma in recent years) that could very well keep the Irish from following in the previous regimes footsteps and becoming one-dimensional in crunch time.

Whereas Michigan is utilizing a primarily run-based offense, Notre Dame under Kelly will throw the ball a lot, but also keep the ball on the ground as well.

The Wolverines have only thrown for 4,098 yards, 26 touchdowns and 27 interceptions over the past two seasons and this lack of a passing game has crippled the Rodriguez era in Ann Arbor.

Down in South Bend, watch for a well-balanced diet fueled by a potent passing attack and an improved ground game that could lead to some fireworks, including the breaking of school records and numerous victories.