Notre Dame Football: Brian Kelly's Unfinished Business

When news broke in the hours after Notre Dame's BCS title game appearance that Brian Kelly was talking with the Philadelphia Eagles about their vacant head-coaching job, Irish fans were shocked that the man who finally led Notre Dame back from the dead would be willing to leave without finishing the job. 

From that moment on, Kelly's name has been a permanent fixture in the conversation when discussing college coaches who might be willing to make a jump to the NFL. Even after a four and five-loss season, Kelly's star hasn't seemed to diminish, though after acknowledging his initial curiosity about coaching at the highest level, he's consistently said he has a home in college football. 

Kelly doubled-down on those statements on Thursday. When talking with ESPN Radio's Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo, Notre Dame's head coach was asked about his interest in coaching in the NFL. 

"I've made it pretty clear what my choices are. I want to be in college football. And I want to take Notre Dame back into being a consistent player," Kelly told SVP & Russillo. "We're not there yet, but I think we're getting closer to it. We've got unfinished business. And I've got unfinished business at the college ranks. And I want to finish that business off with a national championship. That's my focus. That's where I want to be."

Kelly's statement was emphatic. It left no room for wiggle, like when UCLA's Jim Mora said, "I have no plans to coach anywhere else but UCLA at this time." 

So, with Kelly's intentions openly stated, it's worth examining how close the head coach thinks his team is from the ultimate goal. And while the November nightmare isn't all that far removed, it's becoming clear that Kelly still believes his team could have what it takes to move back into the conversation as early as next season. 

As the Notre Dame coaching staff works through the home stretch of the recruiting cycle, selling a victory over LSU in the Music City Bowl is only the beginning. After seeing the Irish offense brilliantly mix and match quarterbacks to protect the undermanned defense, an identity shift could be in the works. 

That'll depend on keeping both quarterbacks happy. The groundwork is being laid right now with Everett Golson. Over the semester break, Kelly connected with his senior quarterback and expects him back on campus for the spring semester and ultimately next season, per ESPN's SportsCenter: 

"

I’ve talked to Everett. Everett needs to come back and go through spring ball. He’s ready to compete. And he will compete in the spring. He’s going to graduate this spring, and that’s going to allow him to keep his options open. But I expect him to be back and competing for the starting position. Both of them will have an opportunity. I’d love to see both of them on the field for us. I think we can play them both. Everett’s got a chance to win that starting position. I know he expects to be the starter in the fall, and he’ll have the opportunity to do that.

"

The next step is Ronnie Stanley. The Irish's left tackle is one of the rising stars of the offseason, but 247 Sports reports that Stanley and Kelly met to discuss the stay-or-go decision facing the rising senior. Most expect good news from defensive tackle Sheldon Day as well, with Irish Illustrated reporting that Day intends to stay for his final season. 

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

With or without Stanley or Day, the future looks bright. Phil Steele points out that Notre Dame returns more starters than any other Power Five team in college football. Rising juniors Jaylon Smith and Will Fuller should likely be preseason All-American candidates. 

The beleaguered defense will welcome back a healthy Joe Schmidt. They'll also get back cornerback KeiVarae Russell and defensive end Ishaq Williams, with Russell garnering All-American buzz this preseason before suspension cost him the 2014 season. 

At 53, Brian Kelly is still relatively young for a successful head coach. So while the future may lead him to taking a shot at coaching on Sundays, it's easy to see why Kelly wants to stay in South Bend in 2015 instead of taking on a reclamation project in the NFL. 

"Down the road? Who knows what will happen," Kelly said. "Right now, I feel like at Notre Dame, my focus, I want to win a national championship."