People of Earth,

As NBC programming goes, how can anyone look back upon the 2009 Notre Dame football season and label it anything but an "astounding failure?" The Fighting Irish, despite receiving the greatest receiving performance in a season by any player in school history (Golden Tate), despite having a quarterback who threw 28 touchdowns and only four interceptions (Jimmy Clausen), and despite landing the greatest defensive recruit in at least 15 years (Manti Te'o), finished 6-6.

For the third consecutive regular season under head coach Charlie "I already work around the clock!" Weis, Notre Dame failed to post a winning record. The shame of it is that the Fighting Irish had the talent to accomplish so much more: 10 of the 12 games they played were decided by seven or fewer points. Six of those 10 nail-biters were losses. In all but one of their defeats (Navy), Notre Dame had possession of the football with less than a minute remaining and trailed by a touchdown or less. One play would have changed the outcome.

Despite the spectacular efforts of Tate, the Irish failed too often to cash in on these golden opportunities. And so, while you cannot pin this on NBC, the face of Notre Dame football (Weis) was jettisoned and given an eight-figure settlement (remarkable that it pales in comparison to Conan O'Brien's). The new face will be head coach Brian Kelly. As of press time, there are no plans to move the start times of next season's games to 4:05 p.m.

Notre Dame will not be joining the Big Ten conference anytime soon. Judging from the manner in which Brian Kelly is filling out his coaching staff, however, the Big Ten is joining ranks at Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish announced three additions to Kelly's coaching staff Tuesday: Mike Denbrock (tight ends), Mike Elston (defensive line) and, as was reported here a week ago, Chuck Martin (defensive backs). In addition, according to Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune, you can also expect to see Bob Diaco and Kerry Cooks working with the defense and Tim Hinton, Charley Molnar and Ed Warriner working with Denbrock on the offensive side of the ball. Running backs coach Tony Alford is the only holdover from the Charlie Weis era.

The only conversion Manti Te'o will help facilitate next autumn is from a 4-3 to a 3-4.

Domers who prayed to Deo (Latin ablative form of deus, or "God" if our schoolboy Latin holds) that they'd not lose Te'o, at the Grotto have won the Lotto. For the second winter in a row Manti Te'o announced he will play for Notre Dame next autumn. It never gets old hearing that.

Te'o, the most highly regarded Irish defensive recruit in years, is Mormon. Following the freshman year of college, many male members (and a few females) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints take off on two-year missions. It's a remarkable sacrifice, an admirable expression of faith. Elders, as these missionaries are called, can be shipped to just about any corner of the globe to serve the LDS church and promote their faith.

That's all fine, but is there any place Te'o is more needed than on Notre Dame's defense?

Last season as a true freshman, and although he did not start full-time until his fifth game, the Hawaiian native finished fourth on the team in tackles with 63. Only two players in Notre Dame history- linebacker Bob Golic and defensive end Ross Browner- had more tackles as freshmen than did Te'o. Golic had 82 tackles in 1975 while Browner had 68 in 1973. Both Golic and Browner would become two-time first-team All-Americans for the Irish. Whether Te'o can emulate that type of success in a few years remains to be seen. Not up for dispute: he is the only defensive player currently on the roster with the type of talent to even dream such lofty dreams.

Six weeks ago Te'o, his parents Brian and Ottilia, and Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis huddled in Weis' corner office on the second floor of the Guglielmino Athletic Complex. This was in November, just a couple of nights before the Fighting Irish were to host Connecticut in the home finale.

A year ago nearly to the day Te'o, then a senior at the Punahou School in Hawaii, had met with Weis in this same office. Then the issue had been whether to come to Notre Dame the following season. Now the question was whether to remain at Notre Dame the following season, or whether to go on a two-year Mormon mission.

The buzzards were already circling over Weis's head-the loss to UConn would seal his fate-and the Te'o family wondered whether the imminent dismissal of Weis should factor into their decision as to where Manti would spend the next two years of his life. Whatever was said that night, Weis helped reassure the Te'o clan that his departure should not factor into their decision.

"The coaching change didn't have a factor," Te'o said via press release on the day after Christmas in announcing his decision to remain at Notre Dame for his sophomore season next autumn. "Football wasn't a factor. It was strictly a spiritual thing for me."

Austin Collinsworth (son of NBC broadcaster Cris Collinsworth) may have been the first player to verbally commit to Notre Dame since Brian Kelly was hired three weeks ago. Manti Te'o is in a sense the second. By keeping Te'o the Irish will be better in 2010 than if they had signed the top recruit in this year's high school class and lost Te'o. They will be better than if Te'o had left and five-star defensive end Chris Martin had signed. Martin, who de-committed after Weis was fired, has since announced his intention to attend Cal.

Think about it. Had Te'o opted to go on his mission, Notre Dame would have headed into 2010 minus its top two offensive players (quarterback Jimmy Clausen and wide receiver Golden Tate) and its top two defensive players (safety Kyle McCarthy, who graduated, and Te'o) from last season. And while Clausen and Tate will certainly be missed, the Irish are much deeper, talented and more potent on offense than they are on defense. Losing Te'o would have been a crippling blow.

Te'o did not start in the season opener versus Nevada last September. Early in the second quarter he was seated on the Notre Dame bench, his legs on the seat and his rear resting atop the backrest, when he was summoned to enter the game. Notre Dame led 14-0.

The 6-foot-2, 244-pound Te'o almost seemed surprised, but he ran onto the field and lined up in an outside right linebacker position. On his very first collegiate play, he rushed the passer, the nimble Colin Kaepernick, and when he was flushed from the pocket Te'o chased him down for a solo tackle.

So it was all season. Safeties Kyle McCarthy and Harrison Smith made more tackles, but Te'o's hits had more oomph. In the first half against USC he encountered Trojan quarterback Matt Barkley along the sideline and Maualuga'd him halfway to Elkhart. It was a tremendous hit. When is the last time the Irish had a linebacker who punished ballcarriers as if he were ... well, on a mission?

"I knew the impact of my decision could have a positive influence on those who follow me and those who watch what I do," Te'o said in his statement. "I always want to have a positive influence on them. I just thought that I was sent to Notre Dame for a purpose and that is a purpose I have to devote to."

And maybe that makes sense. Certainly, Te'o would be serving the Mormon church if he were stationed in some God-forsaken third world precinct the next two seasons. Instead, he will be stationed in South Bend (don't...don't think it), where millions of people will be exposed to the Mormon linebacker who happens to be one of the best players, if not the best, at the nation's most prominent Catholic university. He likely will have a far more profound impact having chosen the path he did.

And, hey, if Te'o happens to rack up 100 tackles and restore some dignity to the Irish defense, few will mind. He is representing a school, after all, that was founded nearly 170 years ago by religious missionaries. In a way Te'o would just be keeping the faith. Even if it happens to be a different faith.

Three days before his Grand Valley State team was to play in the Division II national championship game in Florence, Ala., earlier this month, head coach Chuck Martin spoke to FanHouse as he was headed to practice. Martin, who worked under and then succeeded Brian Kelly at Grand Valley, was effusive in his praise of his mentor.

"Brian Kelly is the kind of guy who sets the bar very high," said Martin, who had already won two national championships in his first five seasons at the Allendale, Mich., school. "If you fail to meet those standards, you don't hang around very long. Brian and I have never had a problem working together."

So unabashedly did Martin gush, in fact, that I finally asked, "I don't know if this is insulting to ask a head coach who is about to play for his third national championship, but if Brian Kelly called you and asked you to join his staff in South Bend, would you consider joining him?"

CINCINNATI -- If Mardy Gilyard is indicative of others in the Bearcat Nation, well, let's put it this way: Brian Kelly is about to get a group hug.

Oh, I know. They egged Kelly's house after his decision to leave the University of Cincinnati football program for Notre Dame. Plus, near the Bearcats' locker room, where each of the former football coaches has a name plate on a wall of honor, the one for Kelly is torn away. But to hear Gilyard tell it, many of Kelly's week-old bashers -- including himself -- wish to hide their faces inside of that crazy mix of spaghetti, cheese, beans, onions and ground beef known as chili around here.

"Speaking for me, I overreacted, and I want to apologize to Coach Kelly for my message that got a little sideways, because I felt like I kicked him in the stomach," Gilyard, Cincinnati's splendid wide receiver, said during an exclusive interview with FanHouse on Thursday night outside of the Bearcats' athletics complex.

SOUTH BEND, Ind -- Chris Martin is going away to college. At the same time he's coming home. In the end that may have been the deciding factor for the five-star defensive end.

Coveted by the likes of USC, Florida, Oklahoma and Notre Dame, to whom he verbally committed last February, Martin has now let it be known that he will sign with Cal. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Martin, who is living with an older cousin in Aurora, Colo., during his senior year, will play his college ball just 10 minutes from where he grew up in San Leandro, Calif.

"It was the best situation for him, to be close with his family," Martin's cousin, Deshaun Shewl, told FanHouse Monday night. "He made his mom really happy."

Martin visited the Berkeley campus this weekend and by Sunday night he was texting reporters that he was headed to Cal. Martin made a verbal commitment to the Fighting Irish last winter but he had always made it clear that if Charlie Weis was fired that he might reopen his recruitment. By mid-November, with Weis in jeopardy of losing his job, it appeared that Martin was headed to the Sooners.

Instead, he is headed home. On Monday night, as Martin wolfed down a plate of chicken, his cousin and mentor took the phone and expounded on the reasons for the choice.

"Going home was important," Shewl said. "They also play a 3-4 defense, which suits him better."

Brian Kelly, whose hiring was announced just last Friday, has not phoned Martin. But, according to Shewl, a plethora of coaches from other schools have continued calling Martin even after he made his latest verbal commitment. Are they wasting their time?

"It's over," said Shewl. "Chris is going home."

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Did Texas placekicker Hunter Lawrence not only save the Longhorns' BCS title game hopes but also accelerate and/or facilitate Brian Kelly's "transition" to Notre Dame? Lawrence, you will recall, kicked the game-winning field goal with :01 remaining in the Big 12 Championship game to vault Texas past Nebraska, 13-12, and into the BCS championship game.

Had Lawrence missed -- and the kick just fell inside the left goalpost by a matter of inches -- Cincinnati would likely have faced Alabama for the national championship. Kelly, appearing on WBBL radio on Monday, was asked if Notre Dame would have given him a month to coach the Bearcats in the BCS Championship game had Texas lost.

"That's a great question," Kelly said, chuckling.

"If you're in the national title game, you can't walk away from Cincinnati, right?" asked the host.

"I can't," said Kelly. "I can't. I'm being honest with you."

As to the original question, Kelly later said, "I don't know that we'll ever know (if the Irish would have waited for him), I don't know if Jack Swarbrick would answer the question."

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The Irish may not land a Chris Martin for the 2010 team photo, but chances are good that they will land a Chuck Martin. The latter Martin, 40, spent Saturday coaching his team, Grand Valley State, in the Division II national championship game in Florence, Ala (the Lakers lost, 30-23).

Martin, a south side Chicago-bred Irish Catholic, was Kelly's defensive coordinator in their four seasons together at Grand Valley. He has made no secret of having an interest in returning to work for his former boss. Expect Kelly to name his staff by week's end.

Oddly enough, no matter which Martin-or both-ends up in South Bend, their name already appears in big red lights locally. The most prevalent and popular supermarket chain in the area is named Martin's -- in fact, Weis went shopping there just last weekend.

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Notre Dame currently has two verbal commits who are on the roster of the U.S. Army High School All-American Bowl in San Antonio and three others in the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando. Offensive tackle Christian Lombard (Chicago) and defensive end Blake Lueders (Zionsville, Ind.) are slated to play in the former. For the latter cornerback Toney Hurd, Jr. (Missouri City, Texas), wideout Tai-ler Jones (Gainesville, Ga.) and defensive tackle Louis Nix (Jacksonville, Fla.) have signed on to appear.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- While watching Brian Kenny discuss Brian Kelly on ESPN ...

What a strange, strange week. On Monday we sat inside the Gug as a silent Charlie Weis, flanked by juniors Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate, sat before us for the final time. It was the symbolic end of an era, and as teammates filed
out they shook hands with or hugged one, two or all three of them. It felt like a funeral receiving line.

Four days later a new era begins. The energy inside the Gug was palpable. Even the players in the back of the room were leaning forward in their seats. I tweeted it earlier, but it was the difference between trying to get a seat at church on a Sunday in June and trying to get one for midnight mass at Christmas.

Sorting out the quotes, quips, questions and quibbling from a momentous afternoon in South Bend ...

-- So I guess when all is said and done Sean O'Shea (whoever he is) beat everyone to the scoop.

-- When the 29th head coach at Notre Dame met the players for the first time Friday at noon he opened with, "If you haven't been listening to the news, my name is Brian Kelly."

-- On the sidewalk outside The Gug someone scrawled in chalk, "WELCOME HOME COACH KELLY". Not quite as elaborate as the mural that was erected five days earlier for the farewell announcement from Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate.

And now for details of "The Search":

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- He isn't afraid of the ghosts.

That's huge.

So is this: he doesn't wish to push the Golden Dome and the rest of those Notre Dame things into the nearby St. Joe River.

He also can coach, which is why he may have to rent warehouse space in town to house his growing list of Coach of the Year honors. So he'll win around here. He'll win big, and he'll do so in a hurry. He'll do so the right way, too, with as much of an emphasis on the "student" as the "athlete," especially since the suits and the collars in charge at the University of Notre Dame won't settle for less.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The staunchest argument against what otherwise seemed inevitable the past two weeks, that Brian Kelly would become the next coach at Notre Dame, were the results of Cincinnati's past four games.

Yes, the Bearcats won all four contests, but look at the final scores: 47-45 against Connecticut, 24-21 against West Virginia, 49-36 against Illinois, and 45-44 at Pittsburgh. Notre Dame had just dismissed a coach whose offense was sublime and whose defense was subpar. Was the affable Kelly just a more diplomatic version of Charlie Weis? And what value might Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick put on defense when it came to evaluating coaching prospects?

"My personal view is that given where we play and who we play, we need to be able to play good defense," Swarbrick told reporters Nov. 30. "And if you look at the defensive rankings of the leading teams this year, there's a correlation between BCS standings and defensive abilities, and so it's important to us, but it's not a limiter in terms of the background of the coach."

SOUTH BEND, Ind -- Brian Kelly may be inheriting a 6-6 team that just lost the Biletnikoff Award winner as well as a first-round draft pick at quarterback, but the cupboard is not exactly bare in South Bend. And if the 48-year-old coach has demonstrated anything the past three seasons at Cincinnati, it's that he can make due with much less.

The loss of quarterback Jimmy Clausen and wide receiver Golden Tate is seismic, of course. You simply do not replace a talent like Tate or a three-year starter at quarterback with the precision and sophistication of Clausen. The Irish also lose three starters along the offensive line in tackles Paul Duncan and Sam Young, as well as center Eric Olsen, the latter of whom was the heart and soul of this team.