In a crazy, but weird 24 hours Brian Kelly went from hero of Notre Dame football to martyr. Funny thing is that Kelly deserved both those titles in what played out. Kelly having suddenly leaving Notre Dame for LSU not only shocked Irish fans, but also the rest of the country. While it begins a new era at Notre Dame as Marcus Freeman will now be the person in charge of the program, Kelly’s departure is a definite sting. Fans felt and probably still feel bitter about Kelly heading off to LSU, but their feelings are incredibly valid as it was a very cowardly way to leave. So why the departure?
Kelly has recently and publicly came out and talked about his frustration with the administration at Notre Dame, which was understandable, but the problem is that Kelly made it seem like he was committed to building the team into a consistent contender for the National Championship. Kelly talked about how he had planned to stay in South Bend until he retired. Guess that means no one should take his word as seriously as he makes it out to be. Some of the problems were needing a chef for his team, but another was a newer facility to replace the Guglielmino Athletics Complex. The administration had agreed to a chef, but things were still up in the air about a new facility. While the administration probably would’ve eventually gotten a new facility for Kelly, it sure seems like Kelly’s commitment to the school was all talk. However, the problem about Gold and Blue fans is that they should’ve seen this coming from Kelly as history tends to repeat.
Notre Dame fans might exuberate some arrogance and elitism to realize what was to come, but what Kelly did was the exact same thing he did when he departed as head coach of University of Cincinnati. Notre Dame is clearly a bigger and more storied football program than Cincinnati and one cannot fault Kelly for wanting to become head coach at the school, but the way he did it was not only selfish, it was also just a lack of respect to Cincinnati. Kelly wanted greener pastures, but clearly his selfish intentions got in the way of loyalty. That’s where the fanbase of the Blue and Gold must’ve had any sort of arrogance and sense of elitism because many of them were absolutely shocked thinking he would never leave. Let’s be real here, unless a head coach was fired or wanted to coach in the NFL, why would they want to leave Notre Dame? So that arrogance and elitism is absolutely understandable and forgiving. For Kelly to leave Notre Dame for LSU makes no sense and honestly is laughable, but yet, he did. It was more of the same from him.
Kelly is expected to be the second highest paid coach in the entirety of college football. Yes, even more than Alabama’s Nick Saban, a much better coach than him. LSU is definitely an attractive position to want, but more so than Notre Dame is nothing more than a joke. LSU must’ve been so desperate to rival the likes of Alabama that they paid Kelly a lot of money. Kelly is a great coach, no doubt, and it makes sense for LSU to want him, but for Kelly to take the job is just an absurd decision. It’s a better opportunity, more potential money, and better national recognition to boost his profile at Notre Dame. That’s not up for debate. While LSU is an attractive position, it’s not better. Some LSU fans might come across this and assume the writer of this article is that same arrogance and elitism already mentioned, and they are probably right, but facts don’t outweigh feelings. Kelly had a lot of power at Notre Dame, he’s going to lose more than gain at LSU.
Kelly apparently accepted the LSU job before the players even knew about it and they found out from news reports. He eventually texted them and the coaches about it and called for a meeting at 7 AM the next morning, a meeting that only lasted 11 minutes. So much for loyalty and an 11 minute meeting to discuss his departure is honestly pathetic and shows a lack of respect. Kelly should’ve told his players and coaches about this days beforehand, but of course he did what any selfish person would do. And for karma, outside of special teams coach Bill Polian, none of Kelly’s assistants went with him to LSU. He gets what he deserves. Kelly mentioned another reason as to why he took the job as he said "wanting to be with the best" and "the commitment to excellence, rich traditions, and unrivaled pride and passion of LSU Football." Yeah, Notre Dame beats LSU in all of that.
That being said, this could usher a better time for the program with Freeman now the head coach, especially with the recruiting of the number one class for 2023, plus bringing in a five star quarterback C.J. Carr for 2024. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees stayed and his offense has proven to score a lot of points which could make this team a scary one in a year or two. Kelly left a pretty good foundation to build off of, but Freeman is laying the groundwork for something special.
Kelly lying might not have been a new thing and Notre Dame fans might feel pretty duped, but it also taught them a lesson. However, they can certainly trust Freeman who seemingly has more class, respect, and professionalism plus his ego is not getting in the way. It would be understandable for fans to be hesitant to trust him, but Freeman is not Kelly and that’s already a good enough reason. The lesson for fans is to not take anything for granted, no matter what the program is. That being said, with how everything transpired, this is probably for the best. Despite Kelly being the winningest coach in school history, this almost felt like the best time to move on from him. That being said, good riddance. Watch Notre Dame win a national championship before he does.
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