But if this is the coach picked to take over for Kelly, I don’t see it as clear upgrade, and I don’t see it as someone to get excited over. It’s a lateral pick, IMO.
This program does not need someone to come in and change everything and build up a broken team from the ground up. It is close to championship caliber next year (especially if some important players come back). It needs a guy who knows how to win at big programs right now, so he can continue the recruiting momentum and keep the current 22 and 23 recruits. Rhule will come in with his own staff most likely. He likes complete control.
A quote from Vannie before Kelly was chosen, Rhule is not much different :
Kelly has never coached at a top program either as an assistant or as a head coach. He has never been mentored by or coached with a top-level head coach. He has not recruited nationally or against top programs for elite recruits. In his entire career, Kelly has never coached on a staff that defeated one of the top twenty all-time Division 1 college programs in terms of either wins or winning percentage.
Successful Notre Dame coaches, such as Parseghian, Devine and Holtz had a record of major wins against major opponents before they ever coached at Notre Dame, including Woody Hayes, Joe Paterno, Bo Schembechler, Bud Wilkinson, Barry Switzer and Bob Devaney; multiple wins against teams such as Oklahoma, Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, Penn State; years of testing against competition in the Big Ten, the Big Eight and the Southwest Conference. Each had been mentored by some of the elite football minds of the age such as Paul Brown, Biggie Munn, Duffy Daugherty and Woody Hayes. Each had been around big-time coaches and programs. That level of familiarity with and success against big-time competition and big-time programs is essential at this point. Brian Kelly can point to no such major wins against top teams or coaches, no experience at a top program to know what it is like and no familiarity or mentorship under a top coach.