KIFFIN REPORT SPARKS KELLY-TO-IRISH RUMORS

One of our NFL sources has shared with us an intriguing take on the potential import of the decision of Tennessee to hire Lane Kiffin to succeed Phil Fulmer.It was widely believed that Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly would get the Tennessee job. So with Kelly abruptly out and Kiffin abruptly in, the thinking in some circles is that Kelly has something else lined up.And that something very well could be a certain coming vacancy in South Bend, Indiana.The source predicts that, if the Irish dump Charlie Weis, they’ll want to have his successor lined up before pulling the plug. And as to the reports that the buyout on the Weis contract isn’t as big as previously reported, we’re not surprised. From the moment that word broke of the long-term, big-money deal with a huge buyout if Weis were to leap to the NFL (or if the Irish were to ask him to take a hike), we became convinced that the contract was characterized this way in order to keep Notre Dame’s competitors from using the possibility of Weis leaving against him in the recruiting process.Besides, this is Notre Dame we’re talking about. Regardless of whether it costs $50 million or 50 cents to move on, they can afford it. And they also need to consider the manner in which the football program has deteriorated under Weis, whose best year came with Tyrone Willingham’s recruits.