Irish’s Kelly wins AP Coach of Year

Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly is The Associated Press college football Coach of the Year and the third coach to win the award twice since it was established in 1998.

Kelly received 16 of 58 first-place votes from AP college football poll voters and 81 total points. Alabama’s Nick Saban was second with 16 first-place votes and 66 points and Central Florida first-year coach Josh Heupel was third with 33 points (five first-place votes).

Twelve coaches received at least one firstplace vote and eight received at least three for the award announced Monday. Washington State’s Mike Leach finished fourth with 26 points (three first-place votes) and Syracuse’s Dino Babers was fifth with 25 (five first-place votes).

Kelly joins Saban and TCU’s Gary Patterson as two-time winners. Kelly was also Coach of the Year in 2012.

As he did in 2012, Kelly has guided the Fighting Irish to a 12-0 season and a chance to compete for the national championship. Notre Dame played Alabama in the BCS championship game after the 2012 season and lost 4214. The third-ranked Irish will face No. 2 Clemson in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29 in their first College Football Playoff appearance.

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Alabama: Coach Nick Saban says quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is “probably ahead of schedule” in recovering from ankle surgery.

The Heisman Trophy runner-up has been practicing for the top-ranked Crimson Tide, which began preparations Friday for an Orange Bowl semifinal matchup with Oklahoma.

Tagovailoa had surgery on his left ankle shortly after the Dec. 1 Southeastern Conference game during which he sustained a high ankle sprain on the first drive against Georgia. He played much of the way on the injury but had his worst game of the season.