We are counting down the hours until Monday’s National Championship Game.
Two of college football’s most storied programs, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes, will face off in Atlanta with everything on the line.
Of course, we can’t talk about Notre Dame being on the doorsteps of winning the national title without bringing up Brian Kelly…
As Irish fans remember well, Kelly abruptly left the program in 2021 to take the head coaching job at LSU.
As shocking as his decision was at the time, the frustration wasn’t so much that he left (for a massive contract by the way), but it was what he said when he walked out the door that angered fans the most.
“I want to be in an environment where I have the resources to win a national championship,” Kelly said, taking a clear shot at Notre Dame’s program.
Under Kelly’s replacement, the ultra-popular Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame has stepped up to a level that Kelly (and some others) didn’t think was possible.
Former Irish quarterback Brady Quinn made it clear that no one in South Bend will ever forget the disrespectful comment that Kelly made.
“LSU is a team that has yet to make the College Football Playoff under Brian Kelly,” Quinn told Greg McElroy on the “Always College Football” podcast. “That’s mostly where it comes from. It’s not going to die.
“I mean the reality is Brian Kelly left (ND) and he said what he said. So, you have look back and say, was it a good move? In hindsight, it doesn’t appear so.”
Say what you want about his motivation, but Kelly is trying to get the word out that he didn’t mean to disrespect the Notre Dame program.
As a matter of fact, Kelly claims that he will be rooting like hell for the Irish come Monday night.
“They’re selling it the way they want to sell it,” Kelly told CBS Sports. “Why do you leave Notre Dame? You leave Notre Dame because you’re taking another challenge.
“I took Notre Dame to championships. It’s just the way you want to twist it: ‘You only leave Notre Dame to go win a championship.’ I wasn’t leaving Notre Dame because I couldn’t win a championship.
“You can win championships at Notre Dame, but I chose another path because I wanted a different challenge.
“I’m happy for all those guys, I pull for them. A lot of the guys there that are on both sides of the ball, I recruited. Obviously I want to see those guys win it all, and I think they’re in a great position. Totally excited for those guys.”
Kelly emphasized that his move to LSU wasn’t solely about chasing a title but about working in an environment equipped with the resources he felt were essential to compete at the highest level.
Kelly has previously raved about LSU’s facilities and nutrition center, stating how improved they are compared to the ones in South Bend.
That all may be true. But the fact of the matter is Freeman has the Irish in the national title game while Kelly’s Tigers haven’t sniffed a playoff berth during his tenure in Baton Rouge.
What are your thoughts on Kelly’s comments?
Do you think that deep-down he’s secretly rooting against Notre Dame because he knows that his replacement winning the national title would make him look worse than he already does?
Or do you take him at his word and think that his previous comments on the program were misinterpreted?
More importantly, what’s your prediction for the actual game? … Will the Irish pull off the upset???
