297-Win College Football Coach Predicted to Accept ACC Vacancy

Former Notre Dame and LSU head coach Brian Kelly could be headed to the ACC.

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The 2025-2026 college football coaching carousel featured unprecedented amounts of movement in the Power Four ranks. While the chaos from the last head coaching carousel should usher in a quieter carousel next season, several Power Four programs are still bubbling with discontent over their current head coaches. A handful of these programs are near the middle and bottom of the ACC, such as Boston College, North Carolina, Florida State and Clemson. Eric Single of The Athletic predicted that one ACC school looking to get rid of its head coach will hire former Notre Dame and LSU head coach Brian Kelly as its next head coach.

Why it matters

Kelly is a proven winner with over 297 career victories, including a national championship appearance at Notre Dame and 10-win seasons at LSU. His hiring would be a major coup for an ACC program looking to return to national prominence.

The details

Kelly had worked as a head coach for 35 consecutive seasons before LSU parted ways with him in October of 2025. His first head coaching job was at Grand Valley State in 1991, a job he held for 14 seasons and won a pair of NCAA Division II National Championships before ascending to Division I. Central Michigan gave Kelly his first shot at the FBS level in 2004, and a three-year upward trajectory with the Chippewas catapulted him into the Cincinnati head coaching job in 2007. The Bearcats were 34-6 in three years under Kelly, a run that featured a 12-0 regular season in 2009. Notre Dame hired Kelly away from Cincinnati in the 2010 offseason, and in Kelly's 12 seasons in South Bend, the Fighting Irish won 10 or more games in seven years, made an appearance in a BCS National Championship and made appearances in two different College Football Playoffs. Kelly left Notre Dame in the 2022 offseason to become the head coach at LSU, where the Tigers won 10 games in each of his first two seasons on the job and boasted a Heisman Trophy winner in Jayden Daniels, but questionable defensive play hindered LSU from reaching the College Football Playoff.

  • Kelly had worked as a head coach for 35 consecutive seasons before LSU parted ways with him in October of 2025.
  • Kelly's first head coaching job was at Grand Valley State in 1991, a job he held for 14 seasons.
  • Central Michigan gave Kelly his first shot at the FBS level in 2004.
  • Kelly was the head coach at Cincinnati from 2007-2009, leading the Bearcats to a 12-0 regular season in 2009.
  • Kelly was the head coach at Notre Dame from 2010-2021, leading the Fighting Irish to 10-win seasons in seven of his 12 years.

The players

Brian Kelly

A veteran college football coach with over 297 career wins, including a national championship appearance at Notre Dame and 10-win seasons at LSU.

Jayden Daniels

The Heisman Trophy winner who played under Brian Kelly at LSU.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“The good news for Kelly if he were to take an ACC opening is that the conference has few national championship contenders entering 2026. Clemson and Florida State have both lost much of their power from the last decade, weakening the conference as a whole.”

— Eric Single (The Athletic)

What’s next

If Kelly were to accept an ACC vacancy, it would be a major move that could reshape the conference's power dynamics heading into the 2026 season.

The takeaway

Brian Kelly's proven track record of success at the highest levels of college football makes him an attractive candidate for any Power Five program looking to turn its fortunes around. His potential hiring in the ACC would be a significant development that could shake up the conference's hierarchy.