Notre Dame Football: Is Brian Kelly the right man to take Irish to another level?

After another blowout loss in a prominent bowl game, it’s time to wonder if Brian Kelly is the right man for the Notre Dame football job.

Winning the national coach of the year award is usually enough to silence doubters and solidify a head coaching job for years to come, but for Brian Kelly and Notre Dame football, things are slightly different.

Before the 2018 season, Kelly was on a warm seat in South Bend. He had just turned the Irish around after a 4-8 season in 2016, winning 10 games in 2017, but he needed to put together an even more successful campaign to truly quiet the “fire Kelly” crowd.

For the third time in his Notre Dame tenure, though, Kelly has seen his team bowl out in a prominent bowl game — a BCS title, New Year’s Six or playoff game.

Kelly has been in South Bend for nine years. He has a 60-34 overall record — with a couple of seasons wiped out due to NCAA violations — and has won 10-plus games officially three times. The latest season ended with a 12-0 record and a No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff which was the school’s the first appearance.

It seemed like Notre Dame was ready to take that next step.

Then a matchup with Clemson in the Cotton Bowl happened. The Tigers were heavy favorites and they played as such, winning 30-3.

After another double-digit loss in a big game, is it time to start thinking about moving on from Kelly? If you’re a storied program like Notre Dame, the answer should be yes.

Notre Dame has too much pride to allow 10-win seasons become the ceiling. The Irish have too much talent and they’re one of the most proud programs in the history of the sport to allow this to continue.

Yes, Kelly has done a great job getting Notre Dame to the big stage, but getting them on top may require new direction.