Brian Kelly was outstanding at Central Michigan & Cincinnati

Besides what he's done at Notre Dame, he brought success to two programs that didn't have a whole lot of it before him. I remember what a sought after commodity he was at Cincinnati after the 2009 season and he didn't really miss a beat at ND, a very tough program to coach at historically.

Interesting tidbits from Wikipedia:

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After beginning the 2009 season unranked in all polls, Kelly's Bearcats reeled off 12 straight victories and finished the regular season undefeated. Going into the bowl season, they were ranked #3 in the BCS Standings and faced the Florida Gators in the Sugar Bowl. Kelly did not coach the team in the 51–24 loss to the Florida Gators because of his departure to Notre Dame.

Among the honors that Cincinnati football achieved in 2009 was the highest academic rating among teams in the top 10 of the current BCS standings, according to the 2009 Graduation Success Rates, released Wednesday, November 18, by the NCAA. Cincinnati, which was fifth in the BCS standings, checked in with a 75 percent NCAA graduation rate and a 71 percent federal government rate, the only team in the BCS top 10 to surpass the 70 percent plateau in both.

Kelly finished his tenure at Cincinnati with a 34–6 record.

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He's a far cry from the character coaches we are used to.