Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly named to Dodd Trophy watch list

As it turns out, Notre Dame's exclusive club of watch list honorees isn't limited to the players.

Notre Dame's Brian Kelly is one of 23 head coaches named to the Dodd Trophy watch list, which officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl released Friday.

The Dodd Trophy recognizes the nation's top college football coach, judged based on the criteria that they "represent programs with the highest ideals of leadership, scholarship and integrity on and off the field — the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd’s philosophy. Each of the coaches sits at the helm of programs with winning records, superior Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores and graduation rates, and a strong commitment to service within their communities."

Heading into his sixth season in South Bend, Kelly owns a 45-20 record at Notre Dame, including a 3-2 record in bowl games. He also led the Irish to a berth in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game.

As a head coach at four different programs, Kelly touts a stout overall record of 216-77-2. He won back-to-back national championships at Division II Grand Valley State in 2002 and 2003.