Notre Dame football and head coach Marcus Freeman are preparing to face Navy at noon ET Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

The college football coaching carousel, however, already has some Fighting Irish ties. The NC State Wolfpack parted ways with head coach Dave Doeren after 14 years, opening one of the first Power 4 jobs of the 2026 cycle.

In an early report on potential candidates, On3’s Pete Nakos named three former Notre Dame coaches: Tommy Rees, Lance Taylor, and Brian Kelly. LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker and Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson are also among the early front-runners. I expect Dawson’s name to come up often this offseason.

Each of the three Notre Dame names brings a much different appeal. One makes the most sense, one makes the second-most sense, and one I just don’t understand.

What the NC State job is

Doeren went 98-74 in Raleigh, so he was far from a bad coach. Still, people understand what the NC State job entails. This program is not going to win national championships or become a perennial playoff team.

From an outsider’s perspective, the goals are simple. The Wolfpack should aim to win 10 games, reach the ACC Championship Game, and maybe eke out an occasional playoff berth. It’s still a good job at a Power 4 school, and NC State has shown it will stand by a competent coach.

Money isn’t a problem either. From people I know around the program and some former alumni, NC State has a strong donor base. It can’t match the top SEC and Big Ten schools, but it isn’t hurting.

Tommy Rees

Rees is the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. He spent the previous couple of years with Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland. He then followed Stefanski to Atlanta when Stefanski took the Falcons head coaching job.

Rees has felt like an up-and-comer for a long time. He was Notre Dame’s quarterback and later its offensive coordinator after a stint with the then-San Diego Chargers. From there, he went to Alabama as offensive coordinator before his recent NFL stops.

The NFL has attracted him for years, even during his time in college. When someone asked him about a potential return to college this offseason, Rees said he would be open to anything. He was also a coach of interest for the North Carolina job before Bill Belichick landed it.

Rees is a smart offensive mind, but I don’t think he’s a great play caller. I also don’t know if NC State is the job that would pull him back to college. At this point, I have no intel on how much interest exists on either side.

Lance Taylor

I like Lance Taylor a lot. The Western Michigan head coach was Notre Dame’s running backs coach before Deland McCullough, and he has done a tremendous job with the Broncos.

Western Michigan went 10-4 in 2025, finished 7-1 in the MAC, and won the conference championship. The Broncos are 5-3 now. Most would argue they should be 6-2 after a second chance at a Hail Mary cost them a win against Michigan.

Taylor is a college guy with recruiting roots throughout the East Coast. Western Michigan is also loaded with Notre Dame ties. Greer Martini is the defensive coordinator, and Chris O’Leary held that role in 2025 before taking the Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator job.

This part is me speculating, but Martini could be a key piece. He spent time at Charlotte, so he knows the Carolinas from a recruiting standpoint. If Taylor brings Martini along, they would have relationships to build on. Taylor is an option worth keeping a close eye on.

Brian Kelly

Kelly has 297 wins as a college head coach across stops at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and LSU. He spurned the Irish for LSU a few years ago, and things didn’t go well in Baton Rouge. His exit came halfway through the 2025 season.

I’m not the biggest Kelly fan, but I’ll give him credit here. He’s a good head coach, even if he isn’t a national title winner. At 65 years old, he’s no longer a fit for a top-tier program.

That’s exactly why NC State works. If Kelly returns to the Power 4 level, it needs to be at a job without massive expectations. He improves the floor of programs. You would still question the ceiling, but I’d expect eight to 10 wins every year once he settles in Raleigh.

North Carolina is also producing more major college talent. Kelly would need a strong staff around him because he won’t recruit at the highest level. Still, the fit makes sense.

The verdict

Out of these three possibilities, Kelly and Taylor make the most sense for NC State. I just don’t get the Rees connection. He’s an up-and-coming coach, but I think he likes the NFL and being an offensive coordinator. We’ll see if I’m wrong about that one.