Update, 7:45 p.m., January 11: In a statement, Kelly withdrew his name from consideration for the position:
I’m flattered to have been considered for the position, but have decided to withdraw my name from consideration and will remain at Georgetown. We are coming off of our best season since I’ve been here and with a tremendous group of young men returning, I look forward to continuing to build this program and compete for a Patriot League Championship in 2012. My family and I enjoy being a part of the Georgetown community and we love living in Washington, D.C. We really want to finish what we’ve started here at Georgetown.
Original post: Kevin Kelly, Georgetown’s head coach since 2006 and reigning Patriot League Coach of the Year, is reportedly one of the top candidates to fill the vacant head coaching position at Yale University. Yesterday, the Hartford Courant reported that Don Brown, defensive coordinator at the University of Connecticut, had been offered the position but turned it down.
According to the Yale Daily News, Kelly’s remaining competitors for the position are Dave Cecchini, currently Lehigh’s offensive coordinator, Harvard assistant coach Tony Reno, and former UCLA head coach Karl Dorell. Because the upcoming holiday weekend is expected to be a crucial recruiting weekend for Yale, both the Courant and the New Haven Register expect a new head coach to be announced by the end of this week.
Though Georgetown’s football program may not be as prestigious as those of his competitors for the position, he does have some things going for him. Of those being considered, he is the only current head coach with experience recruiting in the Northeast. His time at Georgetown also prepares him well for the academically rigorous environment of Yale, an aspect of the position that Yale Athletic Director Tom Beckett has highlighted.
“We are looking for an extraordinary leader with great communication skills who is an excellent teacher, who understands the Yale community, understands the academic rigor of Yale and the passion of student athletes,” Beckett told the Yale Daily News.
Last season, Kelly led Georgetown to its best record since 1999. Finishing 8-3, the Hoyas doubled their win total from the 2010 season and would have made the Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs had they beat Lehigh in the final game of the season. Under Kelly’s award-winning leadership, the Hoyas finished 15th in the FCS in scoring defense, and the offense was a model of efficiency, scoring on 92 percent of its red zone opportunities, good for third in the nation. Kelly was also named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson FCS National Coach of the Year award.
Photo: Matthew Funk