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Is there such a thing as a Big East coach being hated because he wins too much?

The answer is clearly no when you look at the current group of head coaches. Three of them have never coached in a Big East game. Three are going into their third seasons in the league and are barely above .500. Paul Pasqualoni has a bushel-full of victories, but nearly all of them came at Syracuse two decades ago.

So let us take a dip back into history to find an answer. Here are the all-time winningest coaches in Big East history, by overall percentage. I am using this statistic because many of the biggest winners do not stick around the Big East for long.

• Larry Coker, Miami: 35-3 (.921)
• Dennis Erickson, Miami: 42-6 (.875)
• Brian Kelly, Cincinnati: 34-6 (.850)
• Bobby Petrino, Louisville: 21-4 (.840)
• Butch Davis, Miami: 51-20 (.718)
• Bill Stewart, West Virginia: 28-12 (.700)
• Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia: 60-26 (.698)
• Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech: 108-48-1 (.691)

The conclusion is an easy one: Much more than one hated coach, Miami was a hated team because of all the wins it racked up while playing in the Big East from 1991-2003. That includes two national championships and seven Big East titles, more than any other school. Coker was never vilified or hated. The man is impossibly nice.

Davis' image took much more of a hit at North Carolina because he left the place in scandal, with two major investigations hanging over the program. While at Miami, he was lauded as the man who saved the program from NCAA sanctions. It is hard to hate a coach who won 10 games only once in his career.

Erickson simply took over for Jimmy Johnson and continued what was started.

But the assignment is to find a coach hated for winning. Let's look at some of the other names on the list. Kelly and Petrino were hated much more for the ways they left their programs. Kelly only coached three years in the Big East; Petrino only two in the Big East. I can't imagine their short stays struck fear into the hearts of opponents, despite all the victories.

So let's turn the focus to Rodriguez. He, more than any of the aforementioned coaches, probably fits the bill. In his final three seasons in Morgantown, Rodriguez won two league championships and had three 11-win seasons. His team went undefeated in league play in 2005, one of only two teams to accomplish the feat in the past seven years. He won with swagger and style, and some of the best athletes in Big East history.

But I used the word probably. Because as great as Rodriguez was, his on-field coaching career in the Big East will be defined by what he didn't do in 2007. West Virginia was ranked No. 2 in the country going into the regular-season finale against Pitt in the always-heated Backyard Brawl. Win, and the Mountaineers would be playing for the school's first national title. Pitt was already out of the bowl picture, entering the game at 4-7. West Virginia was a 28 1/2-point favorite.

Slam dunk, right? Well, you guys know what happened. Pitt pulled one of the biggest upsets in the series, and Rodriguez went packing to Michigan. The loss will always follow Rodriguez, despite all of his wins in the league. On the day he needed a win most of all, he failed. But that loss did not make him a villain in Morgantown. Leaving did.

That is why it is hard to anoint any Big East coach as somebody hated for winning.

Current Big East coaches' career records in the league:

• Paul Pasqualoni, Syracuse and UConn: 112-63-1
• Doug Marrone, Syracuse: 17-20
• Butch Jones, Cincinnati: 14-11
• Charlie Strong, Louisville: 14-12
• Skip Holtz, USF: 13-12
• Steve Addazio, Temple: 0-0
• Paul Chryst, Pitt: 0-0
• Kyle Flood, Rutgers: 0-0

It took less than one game into his second year at Notre Dame for Brian Kelly to draw the inevitable bull's-eye that comes with coaching the nation's most polarizing program.

Yes, a season-opening loss to South Florida, which was beginning its 11th season as an FBS program, was seen as unforgivable. But what really brought attention to South Bend, Ind., after one week was what happened on the sideline, as Kelly lost his temper on several occasions, turning purple in the face with anger and becoming fodder for national analysts and opposing fan bases after the Irish's five-turnover showing.

The National Catholic Register had strong words for Kelly's actions. During ESPN's "College GameDay" broadcast the following week, a fan in the Michigan crowd held up a picture of Kelly at his worst from a week before, with the admittedly funny caption: "UMad Bro?"

Kelly, for his part, admitted afterward that he needed to do a better job of knowing that the camera is on him at all times. Then came a fourth-quarter collapse at the Big House -- a game that featured five more turnovers -- and, well, who with a rooting interest in Notre Dame wasn't turning all sorts of different colors in the face after two early unthinkable losses doomed preseason expectations?

As the Sporting News' Matt Hayes wrote after the game:

If I’m Brian Kelly, you know what I say?

@#$! you.

You want to coach this schizophrenic Notre Dame team? See how far you get without uttering a four-letter bomb.

The day Kelly becomes Ward Cleaver is the day Notre Dame looks for another coach. Until then, he’ll keep doing everything he can to win games – while on the sideline watching the unfathomable follow the unreal.

All of it against his Irish.

Kelly isn't the first football coach to get mad on the sideline and he won't be the last. He ended up going the rest of the season without any sideline dust-ups like the ones in the opener -- even if his team's performances in losses to USC and Florida State gave him every reason to -- and he is generally as media savvy as any college football coach around. When I asked readers for their opinions on Kelly's demeanor earlier this year, the response was overwhelmingly one-sided: We don't care, so long as he wins games.

The pressures of any college head-coaching job is a stress none of us can imagine. Throw in the circumstances at Notre Dame -- with alumni and fans spread all over the nation, huge expectations despite a mediocre recent history and many more restrictions than other power schools -- and it's easy to see why one can lose his cool every now and then.

At Notre Dame, everything is bigger. You'll probably get too much blame for losing and, as we've seen in the past year, you'll get too much criticism for the way you handle yourself on game day. But, as we learned in the early years of Charlie Weis, that works the other way, too. Win games, and the narrative changes: Notre Dame's coach becomes the villain for an entirely different reason.

Time for a little game. Think of the most vilified college football coaches today.

Your list probably looks something like this:

Bobby Petrino.
Rich Rodriguez.
Todd Graham.
Randy Edsall.

You know what they all have in common. They all were Big East coaches at one point in time. Really great Big East coaches, to boot. But alas, great coaches never stick around for long in this league, a common lament among Big East fans. Perhaps the bigger question is -- what has made the Big East a breeding ground for villainous coaches?

Consider the recent history.

Exhibit A. Petrino got his first head coaching job at Louisville, and did one heck of a job, going 41-9 in four seasons. But the Cardinals were never just right, were they? I mean, how could they be when you 1) Try to negotiate a deal to become head coach at Auburn behind your boss' back. 2) Interview at Florida, Mississippi AND LSU the following year, while pledging love and loyalty to Louisville in between. 3) Forget loyalty and interview with the Oakland Raiders after Year 3 in Louisville. 4) Finally end the misery and leave for the Atlanta Falcons after a 12-1 season and an Orange Bowl berth.

That Atlanta dream job was not quite right either, so he left with good-bye statements taped to his players' lockers before the season even ended and headed for Arkansas. You all know how well his stint ended there.

Maybe all these aforementioned Big East coaches just hate good-byes.

Edsall left for Maryland after UConn lost the Fiesta Bowl to Oklahoma in January 2011 and never told his players word one about his plans. In fact, he did not even take the team charter home with the team. What may even be worse than that -- he made Jordan Todman get up in front of the team to explain why he was leaving early for the NFL draft. Edsall just finished a 2-10 season at Maryland in which he took a beating and lost 24 transfers. He is working hard to right the ship -- but you can bet some folks in Storrs are thinking, "Karma!"

Meanwhile at Pitt, Graham also had a tough time with good-byes at the end of last season. He told his players he was leaving via text message and hightailed it for Arizona State after a 6-6 season in which he had his players buying into an "high-octane" and "high-energy" offense. This, of course, came after he pretty much begged for the Pitt job after the Mike Haywood fiasco. But his shenanigans started at Rice, where he also had a one-year stint before leaving for Tulsa. ESPN.com columnist Mark Schlabach dubbed Graham the new president of the Liar's Club after his Pitt exit.

Rich Rod? Well, he is persona non grata in two states, West Virginia and Michigan. Who can forget the drama after he left the Mountaineers for the Wolverines in 2007, a few short months after signing a new contract and pledging his commitment to his school? West Virginia sued Rodriguez in the wake of his departure, and Michigan turned out to be an absolute disaster. It sure ain't easy being hated in as many spots as these guys.

There are others who left in less-than-ideal ways. How about Brian Kelly at Cincinnati, waiting until the end of his team banquet to announce his departure for Notre Dame? This was hours AFTER players began hearing news reports that they had lost their coach. Most recently, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano left for Tampa Bay less than a week before signing day, not even telling his loyal assistants, who were out on the road recruiting without any idea about what was happening.

His departure was tame compared to the rest. As for the others, I think they would make an excellent subject for a new television series.

"College Football Coaches Behaving Badly."

Who made names for themselves this spring? Glad you asked.

RB/WR Theo Riddick: Riddick seemed more comfortable this spring, as the learning curve from playing two different positions is all but gone and he is ready to make plays. The senior stood out during several intrasquad scrimmages. If Riddick can be an effective punt returner this fall, he can be the complete package for the Irish.

WR John Goodman: It's not often you see a fifth-year senior on lists like these, but Goodman, as coach Brian Kelly said, was the Irish's go-to guy this spring, and he served as an offensive captain in the Blue-Gold game as a result of being the unit's most improved player. No longer in the shadow of Michael Floyd and with one last chance to succeed after being invited back for another year, Goodman is primed for a breakout season this fall.

NG Kona Schwenke: Like Goodman, Schwenke was a captain in the Blue-Gold game, winning most improved defensive player honors while temporarily supplanting Louis Nix from the starting spot in the middle. He added some weight and improved his handwork, and he figures to see plenty of snaps next season, regardless of whether or not he starts.

LB Ishaq Williams: Kelly revealed that Williams went home to Brooklyn, N.Y., for a few days in the winter to think about his future. He has apparently come back with a new focus, as the rising sophomore had a strong spring, filling in for the injured Prince Shembo at the cat position and coming up with a pick and a fumble recovery in the spring game.

LB Jarrett Grace: Playing time may be hard to come by -- he is, after all, backing up a likely first-round draft pick in Manti Te'o -- but Grace has made the most of his opportunities. Defensive coordinator Bob Diaco loved him this spring, and, after redshirting his freshman season, Grace figures to spell Te'o every now and then this fall while also seeing duties on special teams.

Notre Dame receiver DaVaris Daniels was one of 29 people cited for consumption of alcohol by a minor early Sunday morning, according to a report from the Vernon Hills (Ill.) Police Department.

Police responded to a call for an ambulance at a residence with the same address as Daniels', where "all subjects were found to be participating in an underage party and had consumed alcohol while under the age of 21."

Daniels, 19, and the other 28 people are due in a local court June 14.

A rising sophomore, Daniels redshirted last fall but figures to be in the mix for a starting spot in 2012.

Former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis has received close to $8.7 million to not coach his alma mater, and the number will only grow.

Weis was paid $2,054,744 of buyout money from Notre Dame from July 2010 to June 2011, according to the Chicago Tribune, which obtained the figures from Notre Dame's Form 990 it must submit to the IRS.

Fired after the 2009 season, Weis received an initial buyout payment of $6,638,403, bringing the total to $8,693,147. He is slated to receive additional payments through December 2015.

The original $6.6 million payout was to be followed by "much smaller payments," according to previous documents. Weis also received $469,727 from Play by Play sports — now known as Notre Dame Sports Properties — and an additional $1,095 of unspecified "other reportable compensation."

The first glimpse at what current head coach Brian Kelly makes shows that Kelly took in $2,424,301, though $1,762,334 of "other reportable compensation" indicates all or part of that payment is a "one-time payment to Coach Kelly," the Tribune reported. As reporter Brian Hamilton notes, that money might have helped with any buyout Kelly owed Cincinnati after leaving the Bearcats in December 2009.

Kelly's base compensation is $617,846. The form did not include payments from "external sources."

Athletic director Jack Swarbrick made $1,026,942.

Following consecutive 8-5 campaigns, Notre Dame entered this spring with a re-shuffled staff, a wide-open quarterback competition and arguably one of the nation's best defensive lines.

So, uh, about those three new assistants ...

"I love the energy out there, I love what I'm hearing in terms of teaching," head coach Brian Kelly said April 4, roughly halfway through the spring. "Guys are teaching and I can hear it. So for me it's exactly what I need to hear from our coaches. There's a lot of teaching going on, there's a lot of energy. So for me I feel really good about going out to practice, and what I hear I really like."

Nine days after that comment, defensive end Aaron Lynch announced his decision to transfer, eventually ending up with Notre Dame alum Skip Holtz at South Florida. A series of cryptic Twitter posts by nose guard Louis Nix in the days after Lynch's departure unsettled an already-uneasy fan base, and Nix's admittedly honest public comments afterward about having missed his Florida home did little to quell Irish fans' worst fears.

Then came the spring game, Everett Golson's coming-out party. The rising sophomore quarterback completed 11 of 15 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns, adding 25 yards on six rushes. Most importantly, he was the only of the four quarterbacks to not turn the ball over.

If that wasn't enough for Golson to improve his chances of starting in 2012 -- Kelly said afterward that he had trouble getting plays in on time -- the events of May 3 certainly did.

Tommy Rees, the only of the four signal-callers with starting experience, was charged with four misdemeanors as a result of his arrest at an off-campus house party. Police said that they had to use pepper spray to subdue Rees, who faces two counts of resisting law enforcement, in addition to minor consumption and battery.

So begins an offseason whose storyline, like last year's with Michael Floyd, will be dominated by an off-field run-in by a big-name player. Rees is due in court May 17, but his status with the Irish remains up in the air. Discipline of any kind -- even an offseason suspension -- would strongly diminish his hopes of taking the first snap Sept. 1 in Dublin, Ireland.

Kelly said after the spring game that the guy to emerge as the starter will be the one who commits to all the details in the summer. Golson and Andrew Hendrix — in addition to early enrollee Gunner Kiel — would be in much better positions to do that should Rees be dealt a ban. Regardless, leadership issue becomes an obvious question in light of the arrest.

Whoever does start should have plenty to work with in proven playmakers like Cierre Wood, Theo Riddick and Tyler Eifert. He will also be protected by an experienced offensive line, which returns four players with starting experience.

Linebacker Manti Te'o, who passed up NFL millions this offseason, returns to lead a defense that should still be strong enough up front, though a depleted cornerback corp could have benefited from playing behind an elite pass-rusher like Lynch.

A season that begins overseas is still four months away, but the drama attached to the hip of the nation's most polarizing program has only increased with spring ball in the rearview mirror.

Michael Floyd looked up to Larry Fitzgerald as far back as high school. The two shared a trainer and would often text each other, as the former Notre Dame standout sought advice from the all-pro receiver who happened to hail from his home state of Minnesota.

So when the 602 area code popped up on Floyd's cellphone shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday, the Irish's all-time leading receiver had to resist jumping for joy at the thought of playing in Arizona alongside one of his mentors.

Floyd and Fitzgerald will look to form one of the NFL's top pass-catching tandems in Arizona, which drafted Floyd 13th overall and made him the highest Notre Dame selection in 18 years.

"It's exciting just knowing that he's on the opposite side of me, one of the best receivers in the game," Floyd said. "It's a good learning experience for me to know that when I get down there I'll be able to learn from one of the best."

The Cardinals liked Floyd's 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame, as he figures to give the team the true No. 2 option it has lacked since Anquan Boldin, who in 2008 helped the franchise reach its first Super Bowl. Having Fitzgerald in touch with a fellow receiver in the leadup to this year's draft only made things easier for coach Ken Whisenhunt.

"I think it says a lot about Larry, that one of your best players is engaged, that he cares about what the team is doing, and that a receiver who wants the ball thrown to him every down is willing to bring in another guy that is obviously going to spread the receptions out," Whisenhunt said. "That says a lot. Larry is not as involved in the process as a lot of people like to think that he is, but certainly I think that Larry likes him, that Larry is going to take him under his wing, that is going to be important to Larry that this young man does well. I think that says a lot."

General manager Rod Graves said Floyd was simply too good to pass up at the No. 13 spot, and Whisenhunt was pleased with the way the record-breaking wideout handled the often-intense pre-draft vetting process about his string of alcohol-related run-ins with the law.

Pointing to Floyd's maturation, Irish coach Brian Kelly cited Floyd rallying the team in the wake of its midseason loss to USC, as the once-beleaguered star didn't let personal gains trump team ones despite BCS-bowl dreams all but gone.

"The things that Larry Fitzgerald already has, those are the things that Mike is going to aspire (to) and that is the technical aspect of the game," Kelly said. "I think you could consider Mike still a raw receiver in a sense that he can get better in the technical elements of route running and things of that nature. But he is certainly a guy that attacks the football and attacks defenders. And blocking, he is an outstanding blocker."

Colleague Ivan Maisel's story on this week's postseason meetings in South Florida has a phrase so natural that it may as well be ingrained in the college football lexicon. Most other stories regarding BCS changes include some version of it as well.

"The 11 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick …"

That sound you hear is the sigh of relief from every Irish fan with an attachment to the program's history in the national landscape. The relevance of Notre Dame football, often called into question, might never be on display more than it will be this fall. In addition to playing regular rivals Boston College, Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford and USC, the Irish will open their season against Navy more than 3,000 miles away in Dublin, Ireland; will face old rival Miami (Fla.) in Chicago; will host independent brethren BYU and will travel to Oklahoma to play the perennial Big 12 favorite. Notre Dame will also host Pitt, which might be playing its final season in the Big East.

For those counting, those are opponents from five of the six automatic-qualifying conferences, in addition to two of the nation's other three independents. The games will be played in three of this country's four time zones, in addition to the opener in Dublin, which is five hours ahead of local time in South Bend, Ind.

Notre Dame has its own television deal with NBC. Most of the program's road opponents will likely push for a night start against the Irish, who are a draw everywhere they go. Hence, the phrase that will continue to be thrown around as details of this week's meetings emerge.

"The 11 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick …"

Swarbrick and head coach Brian Kelly spoke at a dinner Saturday at the Joyce Center, and, naturally, the subject of the BCS, and specifically Notre Dame's fit in it, came up.

"The goal and priority is to remain independent (in football)," Swarbrick said, according to Notre Dame's sports information department. "What the postseason becomes is the lynchpin. There's still one chapter to come as far as conference realignment and that will come after these BCS discussions. These are an important three-and-a-half days (of meetings) this next week in Florida. (The result) will have a significant impact on us one way or another."

Colleague Travis Haney pointed last week to the paradox Notre Dame faces in years like this one — managing a potentially damaging on-field slate while refining its brand. The goal every year, however reasonable or unreasonable, is to earn a berth in a BCS bowl, something the Irish need a top-eight finish to clinch while others must win their conferences. Of the many potential models for postseason change, one limiting a playoff pool to conference winners presents the biggest obstacle for Notre Dame.

Thus, weeks like these are important for Notre Dame, not ready to show its hand. Could that hand be forced, marginalizing the program as another Midwestern power in a conference full of them (Big Ten)? Could it move to another stable, expanding conference, clutching some of its broader appeal and easing its BCS path but surrendering the all-encompassing allure of Notre Dame Football (ACC)?

The answers, like most everything else when it comes to change in this sport, will reveal themselves slowly over the coming months. So long as that reassuring phrase keeps popping up in print and online, Notre Dame fans can breathe a little easier, their collective seat at the table momentarily secure.

"The 11 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick …"

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- From the stands, one could imagine the minor sigh of relief Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly exhaled upon Everett Golson's 19-yard touchdown pass to Theo Riddick in the second quarter of Saturday's Blue-Gold game.

It came after the defense forced another turnover, after Golson fumbled the drive's first snap and after the sophomore quarterback seemingly ran in circles before drawing a facemask penalty on Kendall Moore.

"The quarterback position, as I mentioned to you before, is the art and science," Kelly said. "In putting both the art and the science together, he's very creative. The art part he's got down. It's the science and the consistency, all of those things to be a championship quarterback."

Two drives earlier, Kelly was likely the only one among the crowd of 31,582 to control himself as George Atkinson III took a short pass from Tommy Rees, juked Cam McDaniel and made 19 yards out of nothing.

Because two plays later, the running back mishandled a pitch from Rees and turned it over for the second time in the first half.

Golson, the great unknown of this four-man quarterback derby, finished 11 of 15 for 120 yards and two touchdowns. He carried the ball six times for 25 yards. He was the only quarterback to not throw an interception.

Atkinson, whose electricity was on display during kick returns last season, rushed for 124 yards on just 15 carries, and added 54 receiving yards on three catches.

"Both of those guys are exciting, electric players," Kelly cautioned, "but they are a heart attack for me."

So goes it for the Irish at the end of the spring season. They put up 500-plus yards of offense in five games a season ago, but ranked 118th in turnover margin. They entered fall camp last season with a quarterback controversy, and they also ended it with one.

Few clues could be gathered from Saturday's spring game -- in which the defense defeated the offense, 42-31, for those counting -- as the offense netted 551 yards but turned it over six times.

Rees took the game's first snap, played five drives, completed 7 of 14 passes for 84 yards and tossed a pick to Matthias Farley. Andrew Hendrix came next, connecting with Tyler Eifert for a 25-yard score and eventually playing four drives. He was 4 of 9 for 51 yards, rushed for 13 yards on a pair of carries and threw a pick right over the middle to Ishaq Williams.

Gunner Kiel started the second half, completed his first pass for 11 yards and was promptly picked by Chris Salvi on the next play. The freshman played the entire third and fourth quarters — which were eight minutes apiece with running time — and went 5 of 10 for 57 yards, adding 15 yards on three carries.

"I think we saw some things that we haven't seen before in terms of ball placement," Kelly said. "Then we saw some errors that, unfortunately, are all too familiar. So, I think there were some strides made, but clearly we're not there yet. We've got a lot of work to do with all the quarterbacks to get them to the level that we want. And we have a high bar set for them."

Kelly mentioned having seen the same movie before with Rees' and Hendrix's picks, specifically saying that Rees needs to know that "zero" is OK on third down, especially in drop-eight situations. He said the offense can't run everything with Kiel after just 15 practices to work with him.

And he said Golson needs to do a better job of getting plays in quicker, a fact the signal caller acknowledged goes a long way in earning the staff's trust.

"You never really know which way the play's gonna go with me and George," Golson said of himself and Atkinson. "That's because we're just not consistent: One play we're making a good play, one play it's a fumble or turnover, so I think just being more consistent on the positive end will help us out."

Added Atkinson: "There's so many things I can work on. I don't think I did that well today, personally. I still need fundamentals, basically. Just work on fundamentals and taking the coaching and everything else."

Atkinson said he doesn't want to give his staff a roller-coaster ride when he's on the field. Having a man under center who can protect the ball will go a long way in easing the blood pressure of everyone in the huddle and on the sideline. But an answer there isn't coming anytime soon.

"The guy that really commits to the details this summer is probably one of the guys that's going to start it," Kelly said. "So if you can go to any of those voluntary workouts, then let me know. I'd be happy to field that when I'm on the golf course. Just text me if you have that opportunity. The point is all of them have a lot of work to do. We'll see who does a great job this summer."

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Aaron Lynch would often call Manti Te'o his big brother, the two most talented Notre Dame defensive recruits in years bonding over the high expectations and even the distance away from home that each had to deal with in college.

So Te'o was a little surprised once he heard the news Friday that Lynch would be transferring at semester's end. But the linebacker knows there is a line that should not be crossed, and he is protective of his former teammate when it comes to the vitriol Lynch has dealt with from outsiders in light of his decision to go to another school.

"It hurt, because like I said, I cared about Aaron the kid, not the player," Te'o said. "Everybody else cares about what he does and it's obvious, because the poor kid is getting heat. That's not fair. That's not fair for a 19-year-old to be hounded by people online on his Facebook and stuff like that. So as an older brother I look at that and I'm just there for him — 'Hey, don't read that stuff. Just you do what you've got to do. And your family here at Notre Dame will always love you no matter what.' And he knows that, and like I said, I'm going to miss the kid."

Defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore, who had been working with the second team this spring, will move into Lynch's spot. The fifth-year senior started a majority of the past three seasons for the Irish anyway, though he missed the last six games of 2011 because of a right knee injury.

"It's always shocking when you have somebody that talented leaving this university," Lewis-Moore said. "We're really going to miss Aaron, but at the same time we wish him the best. But we've got to kind of move on from that, there's no hard feelings."

Kelly said several times following Saturday's practice — the team's first since Lynch announced he would transfer — that the transition without the 6-foot-6, 270-pound defensive end had been "seamless."

The third-year Irish coach acknowledged that the balance of coaching football and playing team psychologist is part of his job description, something he has gotten used to doing every day in what is going on a 22-year college head-coaching career.

"They're 18-21 year-olds, and they're going to have good days and bad days, so I think I'm constantly trying to be in touch with it," Kelly said. "I know our coaches try really hard, but that social worker, that psychologist, I think that all goes into being a good coach and a good teacher."

Lynch, who had not been shy in acknowledging the difficulties of his transition to college in a new region, is likely transferring to a school closer to his hometown of Cape Coral, Fla.,

Te'o dealt with many similar challenges upon his arrival to Notre Dame three years ago, especially coming all the way from Laie, Hawaii.

"When I was young there were many times after practice where I just said, 'I don't want to be here,' you know what I mean?" Te'o recalled. "But it's a growing process, you have to mature. It's hard. I think it's hard wherever you go, whether you're at Notre Dame, you're at USC — you're away from home. And for a young 18-, 19-year old, not being able to come home and see Mom and Dad and your siblings and have a home-cooked meal waiting for you, and coming here and you finish practice and you have to find out, what are you going to eat? Where am I going to go? Do I got to wash my clothes? Do I got to wash the dishes?

"It's a culture shock, so there were those days though. Fortunately for me, I just fought through it and I stuck it out, and that's one thing I want my little brother to experience. I wanted him to stick it out and reap the benefits of sticking it out and being here at Notre Dame and taking care of his family, but I know he'll take care of his family wherever he goes."

Talk about a bad start to Friday the 13th.

Aaron Lynch is gone from the Notre Dame football program, the Irish's best pass-rusher electing to take his talents back home to Florida upon semester's end. (Speculation is that South Florida could be the beneficiary. Coach Brian Kelly said he won't hold Lynch back, though he didn't say if Lynch would have an unconditional release.)

What started with an excusal from practice last Wednesday and Kelly denying that Lynch quit the team ended nine days later with the head coach beginning a last-minute press conference moments after Lynch's release by saying: "As you know, Aaron Lynch has quit the football team."

"I think whether I was at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati -- the dynamics are the same as it relates to your team and making sure that there's a standard across the board," Kelly said. "And I think there is a point where, listen, 'You're either in or not.' Like in recruiting, we're laying our cards on the table: Here's who we are, you know what I mean? This is what you're going to get when you come.

"We're not going to come in and say, 'You don't have to live in the dorms.' No, you've got to live in the dorms. We don't say, 'It's easy in the classroom, don't worry about it.' We don't say, 'Hey, don't worry about it, it never snows here' ... though it doesn't seem like it snows here much anymore. But the fact of the matter is when you're opened up like that, then you have to be that same way within the program, and we wish him the best."

The loss for the Irish defense is immeasurable. Seven tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and 14 quarterback hurries show the mark of a great defensive end. Throw in that Lynch did all this as a true freshman despite admittedly being far from the most coachable player upon arrival, and it's easy to see why Irish fans were excited about the defensive line for the next two years with Lynch as the anchor. (Yes, he is talented enough to go pro after three years.)

More troubling, however, is the lack of momentum that this team has been unable to sustain for nearly two years now.

Close out 2010 with four convincing wins ... give the ball away 10 times in two losses to open 2011.

Stock up on blue-chip prospects for the 2011 recruiting class ... and lose Deontay Greenberry, one of the team's biggest recruits, to Houston on national signing day.

Regain some punch with the late commitment of Davonte Neal ... and lose Tee Shepard, Greenberry's cousin, after he enrolled early.

Gain six commitments in a four-day span following Junior Day ... and watch one of the most talented defensive players in years leave the program a week before the spring game.

The Lynch-is-unhappy saga picked up plenty of steam this spring, some of it probably unwarranted early (he's not the first to dislike South Bend weather) before his early Easter break-departure for home caused a minor panic among the Irish's fanbase.

A return to school this week momentarily calmed everyone's nerves, but in the end, as Lynch had not been afraid to say publicly, the Florida native's marriage with Notre Dame was far from compatible.

"It was his third semester as a mid-year guy," Kelly said. "I think more of it was during this stretch of January, February, March. And again, some of it is, you've got a guy that is young, and you want to see him mature and then you know where you hit a point where it's not about growing up, it's about where your heart is, so that's where we got to this point in the decision.

"But during the season's easy, as you know: you play games, you know what I mean? So that keeps you fired up, and when he got in here as an early enrollee, it's the anticipation of playing and then the unknown when you go to Notre Dame, so I think it was after he got through the season. Then, where's your head at? And that's how we got to a decision."

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Stephon Tuitt received a lesson in just about everything during a freshman campaign that featured three unexpected starts, two different positions, a pair of sacks, a one-game suspension and a crippling, late-season battle with mononucleosis.

Competing in his first spring, the sophomore-to-be is hoping his eventful debut season has hardened him for Year 2 at Notre Dame.

"What I learned this spring was toughness," Tuitt said. "I'm learning more toughness this spring, going through some things I never went through. But also I'm learning more technique, being this is like my sixth year playing football, I'm still learning, still have the ability to learn.

"Practicing with this great defense of ours, everybody here has respect for each other, everybody here has loyalty toward each other, everybody here plays their butts off for each other and that's one thing I'm learning, having fun with my defense."

(Tuitt also learned, thanks to noseguard Louis Nix, never to swallow a spoonful of salt again. "I don't advise nobody really to do that," he laughed. We'll spare you the visuals, which are available via a quick YouTube search.)

Injuries to all three of the Irish's season-opening starters across the defensive line forced Tuitt into action early last season, as he shifted between end and noseguard. Oversleeping a class cost him the two-hour trip to Purdue for a Week 5 win, but an apology in front of the team -- coupled with the threat of a visit from his mother in Georgia -- showed Tuitt was not about to slip into any bad habits early in his college career.

"All that stuff was like a learning experience," he said. "That don't make me a bad person because I did that. The way I acted after I did that, the maturity that I was able to grow after doing something like that, really made me a better man. These days I'm going to class, I'm doing all the things that I'm supposed to do off the field and also doing the things I'm supposed to do on the field as well, and it just all makes me a better man and a better football player."

Mono cost him 15-20 pounds and the final two regular-season games, but he responded in the Champs Sports Bowl by teaming with fellow freshman end Aaron Lynch to combine for eight tackles, three tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and four hurries.

Lynch said earlier in the spring that he and Tuitt play with the mindset that they want to kill once they get on the field together, and Tuitt acknowledged the silent competition between the two fuels them in everything they do. (Lynch's mother, Alice, indicated on Twitter that her son had returned to campus Monday night, as coach Brian Kelly said he would following an excusal from practice last Wednesday to head home to Ohio for personal reasons.)

"Lynch is a great player," Tuitt said. "He has some stuff that I can't do and I have some stuff that he can't do, and both knowing from each other, competing against each other every day even through the bads and goods, being by each other's side is always taking our game to the next level. And being able to go play with each other, we learn stuff from each other, we do plays, almost like a brother, 'You're gonna do this, I'm gonna do this, and it'll just work just like that.'"

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- John Goodman was unsure five months ago if he would even be welcomed back to Notre Dame for a fifth season. And yet halfway through spring practice, with the Irish's 2012 season five months away, he has been walking and talking like the leader of a unit looking to fill the void left behind by the program's all-time leading receiver.

"That's the kind of guy I want to be, and I really think I can be that," Goodman said of Michael Floyd, a likely first-round draft pick in three weeks. "I have the utmost confidence about that, it's just, I've got to go show it."

Goodman's 2011 season did little to inspire the notion that he could capably fill Floyd's shoes, as the Fort Wayne native had just seven catches for 65 yards. In fact, Goodman's three-year total of 28 grabs for 315 yards looks like little more than any strong two- or three-game stretch by Floyd from the past two seasons.

But with the role of No. 1 target up for the taking this spring, Goodman has thus far risen to the challenge, locking in whenever he walks into the LaBar Practice Complex in a manner unseen the previous four years.

"I always saw ability," current offensive coordinator and former safeties coach Chuck Martin said. "We try to cover -- he's hard to cover. We cover good receivers on a lot of teams and Goody, our defensive backs are like, 'The kid's a good player.' I watched him, I'm like, 'God, he can run, he's tall, he can start, he can stop, he runs great routes.' But it's been the consistency.

"And that's what we've been saying: 'Are you going to be a 70-30 guy? Are you going to be 70 percent a really good player and 30 percent a guy that's going to help us lose a football game, or are you going to be the 100 percent guy?' And he's really approached it and taken it, and a lot of it is probably just senior, this is my last go-round. But just the emphasis that you can be a really effective player on our offense and play a ton and catch a lot of balls, but that's up to you. We'd love it to be you, but we'll find somebody else that's going to be consistent if you're not going to be consistent. So he's really done a nice job."

Goodman has been running with T.J. Jones and Robby Toma on the first team this spring, with head coach Brian Kelly calling the fifth-year senior the Irish's go-to guy thus far.

"He has stepped up his game considerably, and he's got a ways to go, but I expect him to do really big things for us," Kelly said. "He's fast -- he's one of the fastest guys on the team. He's got length. He can play taller than the average defensive back. I think more than anything else is just consistency with John. He's going to have a really fine year for us."

Goodman became the Irish's de facto punt returner last season, which, given the Irish's return struggles, essentially consisted of calling for fair catch after fair catch. He netted just five yards on eight returns and lost a fumble.

A U.S. Army All-American and multipurpose threat out of Bishop Dwenger High School four years ago, Goodman is aware of the expectations that were placed upon him when arriving at Notre Dame. And he knows, much like running back Jonas Gray's renaissance senior campaign in 2011, it's not too late to fulfill them.

"I haven't accomplished everything I wanted to, and there's so much left to be done here for me," Goodman said. "And I felt like my leadership skills have gotten better throughout the year and I just feel like I just needed that last year. It was just essential that I have it and without it, I don't even know what I would've done, because I had my mind set since I'd been a redshirt freshman that I'm going to play this fifth year. And all last season I wasn't sure about it and I just wanted to let Coach Kelly know, the other coaches know that I'm ready for it. I'm good. Once Mike leaves, I want to step up and take that position."

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A year ago Bennett Jackson was transitioning from offense to defense to help what Notre Dame's coaches then thought what was a thin cornerback group. The staff likely had no idea just how much the switch would pay dividends this spring, when the Irish were down to four scholarship corners following the sudden departure of early-enrollee Tee Shepard.

Running back Cam McDaniel was brought over prior to this spring, upping the number of cornerbacks to five.

"We're certainly short, there's no question," head coach Brian Kelly said at the start of the spring season. "There's no hiding the fact that we have a numbers issue there. But we'll be smart in how we manage our reps. We'll be smart in how we put those guys in positions. But clearly you know our philosophy and style of defense; we think that we can be a championship team with the five guys that we have there."

Multi-year starters Robert Blanton and Gary Gray are gone, and suddenly the leader of the pack is Jackson, who played mostly on special teams during his freshman year of 2010, when he was also a wide receiver.

No conversations during his recruitment centered on a possible re-location to the secondary, Jackson said, as the move last spring came as a bit of a surprise.

"I'd say at first I was a little moved by it," Jackson said. "I was a little, I wouldn't say aggravated but a little disappointed. But as I went down the road I actually enjoyed cornerback a lot more than receiver, so I thought it was a great move by the coaches."

"I always enjoyed the physical part more," he later added. "I always like hitting. Special teams my freshman year, I was always hitting. I didn't really play receiver too much so I got a feel for the physical part of the game more. And trying a new position, I fit in well. So I was doing good at it, I was having a chance to compete and I just really started to enjoy it."

Of the switch, Jackson said he would likes to hit rather than be hit. Given Notre Dame's current cornerback situation, he may just like the pressure of being one of the best the Irish have.

"Bennett is as talented a cornerback as I've ever coached," cornerbacks coach and co-defensive coordinator Kerry Cooks said. "From the speed, he's long, he's athletic, he can flip his hips. The part that he's missing is just the experience part, which he got a little bit of that toward the back half of last season. So he's still got to grow. The first few days have been awesome -- he's out there, he's talking, he's vocal. He's doing all the right things, so I like where he's at right now."

Jackson and Lo Wood are the No. 1 corners this spring, with Josh Atkinson and Jalen Brown behind them. Wood's 57-yard interception return for a touchdown last season against Maryland is the highlight among the group, which stands little more than five months from a slate featuring Heisman-caliber passers like USC's Matt Barkley and Oklahoma's Landry Jones.

The corners are welcoming the negative perception as a challenge.

"We're making sure we're just focused on getting better as a unit in the secondary because we all know that, hey, the pressure's on us," Atkinson said. "We all just wanna be great and we're all just committing ourselves to getting better each and every day."

Kelly said there are no current plans for incoming athlete Davonte Neal to play cornerback upon arrival, as he will likely be a receiver or return man.

Cooks, meanwhile, is looking at the current situation as a blessing in disguise. If nothing else, he said, there are more opportunities for each player to take advantage of.

"To me, I don't even look at it like that," Cooks said. "I got the guys that I got. If I had eight I'd be happy, if I had four, if I had three — I'm gonna coach the guys that I got and the guys that wanna be here. And to me, having five scholarship corners allows a lot of guys to get more reps, which means we're building depth at the same time as trying to find out who our two-deep is."