Who will replace Mike Brey as Notre Dame’s next head coach?

2. Pat Kelsey, Charleston head coach

Kelsey, like May, is another head coach who’s seen his stock rise significantly over the last few months. He joined the Cougars from Winthrop where he averaged 20.7 wins per season over his last nine years with the program and was named the 2021 Big South Conference Coach of the Year. Kelsey won 17 games last year in his first season with Charleston and has the Cougars ranked for the first time since 2002-03. The 45-year-old coach entered 2022-23 in elite company as one of just four active coaches (Chris Beard, Archie Miller, Bryce Drew) to win at least 203 games in 10 or fewer seasons. That kind of pedigree could entice Swarbrick to entertain the idea of Kelsey.