Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Brian Kelly Extension Comes at Perfect Time

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish didn't get the boost they wanted from a bowl win so they had to resort to the next best thing. That is, extending Brian Kelly's contract.

The Irish have made big strides under the former Cincinnati head coach, but haven't completely broken through yet.

A lot of that has had to do with inconsistency at the quarterback position and a lot of bad luck.

Without the bowl win to use as momentum, extending Kelly's contract through 2016 and ensuring he'll be around for the long-haul (barring a collapse of Weis-like proportions) should help give the Irish a boost in recruiting as we get closer to national signing day.

According to ESPN's rankings, Notre Dame is expected to turn in one of the top 15 recruiting classes in the country. Scout.com currently ranks them ninth.

The Irish, as expected with a Kelly-run team, have focused on speed and athleticism at skill positions once again this year.

Steve Wilton of SI.com rounded up some of the latest news in South Bend, saying:

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Bolstering the secondary was a major concern in Notre Dame's 2012 recruiting, and Brian Kelly, for the most part, has addressed it in this year's cycle. Despite a late charge from USC, the Irish secured blue-chip cornerback Tee Shepard, a four-star talent set to enroll early.

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They did, however, see another four-star prospect in Ronald Darby decommit, but also received welcome news when USC freshman running back Amir Carlisle chose to transfer to Notre Dame.

He'll have to sit out the 2012 season, but the Irish will welcome him with open arms after losing out on his initial recruitment last year.

It is time for the Irish to make their final push before February 1, and don't be surprised if Brian Kelly snaps up a few more recruits and lands himself a top-10 class.

Some of these recruits will feel much more comfortable knowing that Kelly is going to be in South Bound for the duration of their collegiate career.