Brian Kelly ‘absolutely’ wants to stay at Notre Dame, but he’s reportedly looked around

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly just finished his seventh season as the Fighting Irish head coach, with his team losing 45-27 to USC, bringing 2016’s record to 4-8.

As with any head coach who has a losing season, rumors have been swirling about Kelly’s job security. Those rumors now include the NCAA hitting the program with sanctions and asking it to vacate wins from 2012 and 2013 due to academic violations committed by a former athletic trainer.

A reporter after the loss to USC asked Kelly if he will be back as the team’s head coach in 2017. He replied with a definite yes.

About an hour after Kelly’s answer Saturday night about coming back to South Bend, Yahoo’s Pat Forde reported that Kelly’s reps have reached out to explore coaching options “outside Notre Dame.”

Sources told Yahoo Sports that Kelly’s curiosity regarding other jobs was not spurred by the NCAA sanctions and predates that development. Although Kelly has come under fire from some Notre Dame fans this year, athletic director Jack Swarbrick has consistently stated that Kelly’s job is safe.

Notre Dame sources said Saturday night that Kelly has expressed no desire to leave the school.

ESPN’s Brett McMurphy also reported on Saturday evening that Kelly’s representatives have contacted other universities.

Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly is exploring options through his representatives to possibly leave the Fighting Irish program, a source said Saturday.

Those reports led to a late-night statement from Kelly through the school:

In October, after Notre Dame’s 2-5 start, Swarbrick gave Kelly the usually ill-fated vote of confidence. A few days later, Kelly said he actually wasn’t too happy to hear what Swarbrick said. Via ESPN’s Matt Fortuna:

Well I was disappointed actually. But anytime that your athletic director has to come out and say that, as a head coach you’re disappointed that any kind of comments like that have to be made. So I didn’t ask him, that was his decision, but I clearly understand what he was doing. He was probably sick and tired of being sick and tired, too. But for me it’s disappointing, certainly, that you have to make those comments.

Kelly led Notre Dame to the BCS National Championship Game in 2012, one which the Fighting Irish lost to Alabama 42-14. In 2013, Notre Dame went 9-4, capped off with a victory in the Pinstripe Bowl over Rutgers. So, if the vacated wins remain vacated, Kelly’s official record will be 38-30, as opposed to his actual 59-30 record at Notre Dame.

In January, Kelly signed a six-year extension with the school, after the Fighting Irish finished with a 10-2 record.

With Tom Herman’s departure from Houston to Texas, and Ed Orgeron being named the head coach at LSU, that leaves Houston, Baylor, and Purdue among currently open major jobs.