Coach Profile: Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly is a name that hasn't been mentioned much in the UCLA coaching search. However, he has picked up some momentum recently. With him stalled in contract negotiations with Cincinnati, he might be back in contention for the job in Westwood. So who is this guy and why are many Bruin fans excited about him?

Background

Kelly played his collegiate football at a small Catholic College in Massachusetts called Assumption College. He was a linebacker there and after graduation took a job as the line backer coach and defensive coordinator at Assumption from 1983-1986. He eventually took a graduate assistant position at Grand Valley State in 1987.

In 1989, Kelly was promoted to defensive and recruiting coordinator. In 1991 he took over the head coaching job and spent the next 13 years leading Grand Valley. Kelly culminated his career at this division II school by winning back-to-back national championships. His final teams went on a 20 game winning streak and Kelly was twice named the AFCA Division II Coach of the Year.

In 2004, Kelly made the jump to the Division 1A level. He took over a Central Michigan team that was completely in the dumps. In the prior four seasons before Brian took over the program, they only had one season where they won more than 3 games. Kelly made an immediate impact and in his second year, leadding the Chippewas to their first winning season in over 1998. They qualified for the Motor City Bowl in 2006, but Kelly took the head coaching position at the University of Cincinnati and lead them to victory in the International Bowl instead.

Kelly just completed his first full season at the University of Cincinnati. His team posted an impressive 9-3 record, with his 3 losses coming by a combined 12 points. This was the Bear Cats best season since 1953 when they also won 9 games. He was named the Big East Coach of the Year for his efforts.

Kelly is making around $800,000 per year.

College Head Coaching Record

Year	Team	Overall	Bowl
Grand Valley State (MIFC/GLIAC DII) (1991 -2003)
1991	Grand Valley State	9-3
1992	Grand Valley State	8-3	Conference Champ
1993	Grand Valley State	6-3-2
1994	Grand Valley State	8-4
1995	Grand Valley State	8-3
1996	Grand Valley State	8-3
1997	Grand Valley State	9-2	Conference Champ
1998	Grand Valley State	9-3	Conference Champ
1999	Grand Valley State	5-5
2000	Grand Valley State	7-4
2001	Grand Valley State	13-1	Conference Champ
2002	Grand Valley State	14-0	National Champs
2003	Grand Valley State	14-1	National Champ
Grand Valley State:		120-35-2
Central Michigan (MAC) (2004 — 2006)
2004	Central Michigan	4-7
2005	Central Michigan	6-5
2006	Central Michigan	9-4	Motor City Bowl
Central Michigan:		19-16
Cincinnati (Big East) (2006 — present)
2006	Cincinnati	1-0	International Bowl (W)
2007	Cincinnati	9-3	PapaJohns Bowl
Cincinnati:		10-3	l
Total:		105-39
†Indicates BCS bowl game. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll of the season.

Positives

Kelly's record speaks for itself. He has won national championships at the Division II level and turned around two historically under achieving programs at Central Michigan and Cincinnati. He knows how to win and how to replicate his success wherever he goes. His salary was right around that of Karl Dorrell and the Bruins could get an experienced head coach for far less than what others are asking.

Even though Kelly has a background on the defensive side of the ball, he has presided over some very potent offenses. In 2001 at Grand Valley his team set 77 NCAA, conference, and school records, including setting the all-time Division II scoring record, averaging 58.4 points per game.

Negatives

Kelly is in the first year of a contract at Cincinnati. If he jumps ship for UCLA then what prevents him from doing the same thing next year when a "better" opportunity opens? With all the turnover under Dorrell, the one thing this program needs is consistency.

Kelly doesn't have any ties to the west coast. He has spent his entire career in the Midwest and the region around the great lakes. He may have no interest in coming out this way and he would have to establish recruiting connections from scratch. Since he is a defensive coach, he would probably not retain Walker, who would be a big recruiting connection for the program.

Verdict


I like Brian Kelly a lot and he would be at the top of my list right now. I just don't see him taking the position in Westwood, which is primarily why I haven't written much about him until now. I thought he would go to Michigan but with that position getting filled this weekend, maybe he is still in contention? It might be too little, too late in terms of contacting him now. It looks like UCLA is going to pick a coach this week and I'm guessing Kelly won't be on that short list. Too bad because he looks like a real winner.