Following their ultra-impressive 23-10 victory over the mighty Georgia Bulldogs, Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the talk of the college football world.
Now onto the CFP semifinal, the Irish are just one win away from a spot in the national championship game.
Of course, there were some who thought Notre Dame wasn’t capable of making a run this deep. Leading the charge of that narrative was none other than former Irish head coach Brian Kelly.
Kelly shocked the sport back in 2021 with his decision to leave South Bend for the “richer” confines of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
At the time, Kelly made it clear that he felt there was a ceiling at Notre Dame and that the program lacked the proper resources and investment to truly compete for a national title.
When he decided to leave for LSU, the powers that be at Notre Dame responded decisively, promoting Marcus Freeman, their defensive coordinator, to the head coaching role.
Now, three years later, that decision looks prophetic.
With Freeman’s Irish looking as dangerous as any team in the country, it’s clear that Kelly’s stance on the program has blown up in his face.
Despite all of the resources that Kelly raved about, his tenure at LSU is largely viewed as a supreme disappointment.
FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt was among those who celebrated Notre Dame’s resurgence under Freeman, praising the culture he has fostered in South Bend.
Klatt took to social media to applaud Freeman’s work, comparing it favorably to the state of the program when Kelly departed.
“Marcus Freeman took a job that Brian Kelly ran from and has elevated it above where he found it. Well done sir! Great leader with an outstanding culture,” Klatt posted on X.
While praising Freeman, Klatt made sure to also acknowledge Kelly’s accomplishments in South Bend, including becoming the program’s all-time winningest coach and leading the Irish to two College Football Playoff appearances.
But Klatt emphasized Freeman’s success in elevating the program beyond the foundation Kelly left behind.
“Brian did a phenomenal job at Notre Dame. Many, including me, didn’t argue with his premise…Marcus just went to work and built something special,” Klatt added.
Freeman’s tenure as Notre Dame head coach began with a setback – a Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma State in which the Irish squandered a halftime lead.
However, he quickly turned the program around. Over the next three years, Notre Dame secured top-tier recruiting classes, ranked No. 6, No. 10, and No. 11 nationally. (This year’s early signing period saw the Irish ranked No. 12.)
On the field, Freeman led Notre Dame to a 9-4 record in 2022, followed by a 10-3 season in 2023.
The current 2024 campaign has been a major triumph, with the Irish riding a 12-game winning streak into the College Football Playoff semifinals.
This year’s success includes two wins over ranked SEC teams – a notable contrast to Kelly’s LSU squad, which has yet to reach similar heights.
Kelly’s decision to leave Notre Dame for LSU came with a clear goal: to compete for national championships in the SEC. At the time, he framed the move as a necessary step to achieve greater success.
“I want to be in an environment where I have the resources to win a national championship,” Kelly said after taking the job at LSU.
“I came down here because I want to be in the American League East … I felt like I did everything that I could at Notre Dame and they felt like they did everything they could for me.
“I loved my time at Notre Dame. We were on different paths and that’s fine. I’m fine with that.”
But as Kelly’s LSU teams have struggled to achieve consistent dominance, Notre Dame’s rise under Freeman has sparked comparisons – and jokes – about the coach’s abrupt departure.
Thursday’s victory over Georgia, played in New Orleans less than 100 miles from LSU’s campus, added an extra layer of irony.
We all know money was a major factor in Kelly’s decision to leave Notre Dame for LSU, but his shots at the ceiling of the program were uncalled for and have been proven wrong.
As Notre Dame prepares for their CFP semifinal matchup against Penn State, Freeman’s leadership and the program’s culture have become defining characteristics of this new era.
Meanwhile, Kelly continues to face challenges in the SEC, having lost multiple conference games in each of his three seasons at LSU.
For Freeman and the Fighting Irish, the Sugar Bowl win over Georgia is more than just a historic milestone – it’s a testament to the program’s resilience and the potential for even greater achievements. (Something Kelly didn’t think was possible.)
What are your thoughts on the whole Kelly-Freeman debate? … Which would you rather have leading your program???
