Notre Dame Football: Assessing the Brian Kelly Era Through 18 Games

Upon Charlie Weis' firing in late November of 2009, Notre Dame was desperate for someone to breathe life into a program that was very much on life support.

Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick chose Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly as the metaphorical "savior" of the program.

Unlike Weis, Kelly brought with him more than 20 years of head coaching experience at the college level—not to mention he enjoyed success at every head coaching stop along the way.

Kelly's hiring was met with loads of enthusiasm from the fanbase, as it was in need of a new face after the ugly divorce with Weis.

He immediately won the hearts of the fans after promising that the top priority was building a championship-caliber defense, something that was lacking during the Weis era.

Kelly has followed through on that promise, as the Irish defense truly came together down the stretch last season. That momentum carried into the current season that sees the Irish rush defense holding a lofty ranking of 19th in the nation. 

A large part of that success is Kelly's effort to recruit elite talent along the defensive line. That's where Aaron Lynch and Stephon Tuitt come into the picture.

Lynch and Tuitt were rated as two of the best defensive end prospects in the country, and Kelly eventually secured a commitment from each.

The talent of both players is already having a positive effect on the field, as both players have contributed to the aforementioned stingy rush defense.

Looking ahead, Kelly and his staff have already received commitments from some of the nation's most heralded defensive prospects in the nation in the 2012 recruiting crop.

As you can see, the future is bright for the Irish defense.

While the offense hasn't enjoyed similar results, it is still getting the job done. Through five games this season, Michael Floyd and Co. have eclipsed the 500-yard mark three times.

The one issue holding the unit from truly breaking out is the unseemly amount of turnovers thus far. However, after a turnover-free game at Purdue, those issues may very well be a thing of the past.

The fact of the matter is, that Brian Kelly has his program headed in the right direction.

He and his staff have committed themselves to building a rock-solid defense as well as a capable offense.

Those goals will continue to be achieved at the rate they've been recruiting.

An 11-7 record through 18 games isn't anything to celebrate, but be hopeful, for this program is going places.

Hold on.