SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Brian Kelly has agreed to a six-year contract to stay on as coach at Notre Dame through the 2021 season.
The deal announced Friday by athletic director Jack Swarbrick would make the 54-year-old Kelly, who has been at the school six seasons, the second-longest serving Irish coach in history. Knute Rockne coached 13 seasons from 1918-1930 before he died in a plane crash in Kansas at age 43.
Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian and Lou Holtz all coached the Irish 11 seasons.
Swarbrick, who hired Kelly after firing Charlie Weis following the 2009 season, said he is excited about the future of the program under Kelly.