Brian Kelly wants back in coaching. Did he just hint at his preferred job?

Brian Kelly wants back in coaching. Did he just hint at his preferred job?

Key points

• State football interim coach Todd Goebbel discussing Dave Doeren being fired and the Wolfpack finishing out the 2026 season.
• The Power Four jobs open are Maryland, Baylor, and NC State.
• NC State football interim coach Todd Goebbel discusses Dave Doeren being fired.
• Now that he's been out of the coaching scene for coming up on a year, Brian Kelly seems like he's ready to put himself out there again.
• You know from a conference standpoint, the Major Ten obviously has proved itself to have that kind of appeal, right?

Here's full video of N.C. State football interim coach Todd Goebbel discussing Dave Doeren being fired and the Wolfpack finishing out the 2026 season.

For context, the former LSU coach has seen three jobs come open in quick succession and, despite his rather ignominious exit from Baton Rouge, he has a history of winning that will create him an appealing candidate at a lower-pressure destination. The Power Four jobs open are Maryland, Baylor, and NC State. REQUIRED READING: Maryland football has ambitious coaching targets. Here's the reality.

Kelly spoke on the jobs available and had praise for all of them while citing them as good jobs for myriad reasons – not least of which is the recruiting grounds on which they reside. While Kelly didn't rank them – after all, all three might end up reaching out to him regarding their vacancies – he did shout out one's conference, in particular, on Sirius XM.

"They're all unique, right?" Kelly remarked. "ACC, Major 12, and the Sizeable Ten. You know from a conference standpoint, the Major Ten obviously has proved itself to have that kind of appeal, right? With Maryland. It is a fertile recruiting area, there's no doubt, that DMV area is a really good recruiting area. I think they've done great things in terms of updating facilities." Kelly then moved onto NC State.

"North Carolina State, another great recruiting area, " he remarked. "The ACC conference, other than Miami with Clemson not being where they were before, it's a shot right? I can win this thing at the ACC level, and I think that that's what makes it particularly attractive as well as the geographical area." He closed with Baylor.

"And then Baylor, it's Texas. You know?" he remarked. "You're going to have players, at Baylor. And that's an institutional commitment that they've created. So you know, you may say these are not the 'blue chip, ' but they have the ability to be part of the playoffs each and every year. And they have the ability to contend within their league, and that's what makes all of these jobs attractive in my opinion."

Although that already had momentum since Mike Locksley seemed to be on his way out for some time, kelly's name has been most often mentioned alongside Maryland in the early going. More jobs will probable become available as the season droves on. We'll see if Kelly remains as vocal as the coaching carousel starts to have more seats open. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

In short, brian Kelly wants back in coaching. Did he just hint at his is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.