Brian Kelly Interviews for the Maryland Job as the Terrapins Look for a Proven Builder

Brian Kelly wants back on a sideline, and College Park may be where he lands. The former Notre Dame and LSU coach has interviewed for Maryland's head coaching job, the New York Post reported Saturday, less than a month after the school fired Mike Locksley. On3's Pete Nakos reported that Kelly has emerged as a top name in the Terrapins' search after recently sitting down with the program.

Yahoo Sports described Kelly as a hot candidate coming out of the interview, and a separate Yahoo Sports report said he is serious about the opening and has been positioning himself for it. Maryland has not announced a hire, and no offer has been reported.

Maryland fired Locksley after a 2-5 start. In a statement at the time, athletic director Jim Smith said he and Locksley agreed that a change was in the best interest of the coach and the program, On3 reported. Smith, who arrived in 2025, did not hire Locksley but had chosen to bring him back for another season before making the move.

Co-defensive coordinator Aazaar Abdul-Rahim took over on an interim basis. His debut was a 20-17 loss to Illinois decided by a field goal on the final play, and he earned his first win a week later, 34-29 at Purdue, according to 247Sports. That leaves the Terps at 3-6 overall and 1-5 in the Big Ten. Abdul-Rahim, who has talked openly about raising the team's football IQ, will be considered for the permanent job as the national search goes on.

Kelly is not the only name in the mix. On3 has listed former UCLA coach Chip Kelly and Indiana coordinators Bryant Haines and Mike Shanahan among the Terps' top candidates. The Indiana pair would bring the blueprint of one of the sport's hottest programs, while Chip Kelly would bring one of the most creative offensive minds of his generation. Brian Kelly brings something different: a long record of building programs that win.

Kelly spent 12 seasons as Notre Dame's head coach and took the Irish to the 2013 BCS National Championship Game before leaving for LSU. His four seasons in Baton Rouge ended when LSU fired him last fall, and he has spent this season as a CBS analyst and a weekly co-host on SiriusXM.

He has not been shy about wanting another shot. Speaking on SiriusXM this week, Kelly said he wants to "listen to opportunities if they're available and if the fit is right," On3 reported. He also praised the recruiting ground around the Maryland campus as fertile territory, which is the sort of thing a coach says when he has studied a map and liked what he saw.

Of all the openings this fall, Maryland appears to be where the conversation has turned serious.

There will be critics. Some Maryland fans want a young, rising coordinator, and LSU's decision to move on from Kelly is a fair mark against him. But look at the whole body of work. At Notre Dame, Kelly inherited a proud program that had lost its way, restored its standards and played for a national championship. That is exactly the kind of job Maryland is offering.

College football in 2026 is a chaotic place. Players change schools every winter, money moves faster than playbooks and coaches come and go. In that world, the most valuable thing a program can buy is stability: a grown-up in the building who knows how to hire a staff, run a recruiting operation and hold young men accountable for how they live, not just how they play. A coach who has done it at the highest level, and who has been humbled by a firing, may be more ready for that job than ever.

Maryland sits in the middle of one of the richest talent pipelines in the country, between Washington and Baltimore. The Terps have too often watched those players leave home. A coach who can build walls around that region, and give families a reason to trust the program, could change the trajectory in College Park.

The Terps still have games to play under Abdul-Rahim, and Smith's search continues. If Maryland moves on Kelly, it would give him time to assemble a staff and get into living rooms before signing day. If it does not, Kelly has made clear he is listening. Either way, one of the most accomplished coaches in the sport is ready to work again, and Maryland is taking a long look.