In the world of college football, few coaching moves were as high-profile as Brian Kelly’s decision to leave Notre Dame for LSU. When Kelly, long the head coach of the Fighting Irish, made the jump to Baton Rouge in 2021, it was seen as a bold career move. The prestigious LSU program, laden with championship expectations, was looking for a coach who could bring the team back to glory after a somewhat disappointing post-Ed Orgeron era. Meanwhile, Kelly’s departure from Notre Dame stirred emotions on both sides, with many Notre Dame fans questioning his loyalty and ability to bring the Irish a national title.
Fast forward to 2024, and Kelly’s past relationship with Notre Dame has resurfaced with newfound intensity. After nearly three and a half decades without a championship appearance, Notre Dame finally secured a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship. This achievement, however, has also thrust Brian Kelly back into the spotlight in a manner that he likely didn’t expect. Critics have quickly seized on the situation, dragging Kelly into the mud, as his departure from Notre Dame is now juxtaposed with the Fighting Irish’s remarkable return to national prominence.
### Kelly’s Exit from Notre Dame: A Bitter Departure
When Brian Kelly made the move from Notre Dame to LSU, it was a stunning and, to some, an emotionally charged decision. Kelly had been the face of Notre Dame football for over a decade, guiding the Irish to multiple 10-win seasons, a pair of College Football Playoff appearances, and countless accolades. However, despite his success, Kelly’s tenure at Notre Dame was defined by one glaring absence: a national championship.
In 2012, Kelly led the Irish to the BCS National Championship Game, but they were steamrolled by Alabama 42-14. Then, in 2018, Notre Dame again found itself in the College Football Playoff, only to be soundly beaten by Clemson in the Cotton Bowl. Throughout his time in South Bend, Kelly’s inability to bring a national title to Notre Dame was often viewed as the one stain on an otherwise stellar coaching career.
Kelly’s decision to leave for LSU came in the middle of the 2021 season, just days after Notre Dame had finished a 10-1 regular season. Notre Dame was in contention for a major bowl game and possibly another playoff spot, but Kelly announced he was leaving for LSU before the Irish had even completed their season. The timing of his departure, coupled with the manner in which it was handled, left a bad taste in the mouths of many Notre Dame fans.
To some, it felt like Kelly was abandoning a team on the cusp of another major opportunity, opting for the brighter lights and bigger budget of LSU. His sudden exit raised questions about his true commitment to Notre Dame and whether he had simply grown frustrated by the limitations of coaching at a private institution like Notre Dame, where recruiting was often more difficult and where national championships seemed harder to come by.
### Notre Dame’s Revival: Kelly’s Departure and the Irish’s Return to Glory
After Kelly’s departure, Notre Dame’s football program did not miss a beat. The Irish hired Marcus Freeman, Kelly’s former defensive coordinator, as the new head coach. While Freeman’s first season was rocky, the 2023 and 2024 seasons saw tremendous improvement, culminating in the program’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship since 1988.
The journey back to the top was not easy. Freeman’s first two seasons included key victories over high-ranking teams, including upsets over top-tier conference champions and an impressive series of wins to close out the 2024 season. Under Freeman’s leadership, Notre Dame has built a balanced, well-coached team capable of competing with the best the college football world has to offer. This resurgence led to a place in the championship game, something the program had not achieved in over three decades.
For many Notre Dame fans and observers, this is a redemption story. The Irish had finally returned to national championship contention after years of feeling like they were perpetually a step behind. The sting of the 2012 loss to Alabama and the 2018 defeat to Clemson seemed to fade as Freeman’s team kept proving that they could compete at the highest level. As they prepare for their first national title appearance in 36 years, the story of Notre Dame’s return to greatness is bittersweet—especially when juxtaposed against Kelly’s decision to leave the program.
### Kelly’s Criticism: A Backlash from Notre Dame Fans
Brian Kelly’s departure from Notre Dame, coupled with the Irish’s unexpected rise to the championship game under Freeman, has led many to revisit the narrative surrounding his exit. Some Notre Dame fans have dragged Kelly through the mud, using the Irish’s success as a means to criticize his decision to leave for LSU. In their eyes, Kelly is no longer the beloved figure who took the Irish to multiple major bowl games and made them a consistent playoff contender. Instead, they see him as a man who abandoned the program just before it achieved the very thing he couldn’t: a return to the national championship.
Kelly’s decision to leave Notre Dame, especially at a time when the Irish were still in the thick of the playoff conversation, has become a point of contention. Critics argue that Kelly’s focus on securing a high-paying, high-profile job with LSU, while leaving behind a team in the middle of a strong season, demonstrates a lack of loyalty to the institution that made him a household name. The fact that Freeman, a young, first-time head coach, was able to step in and lead Notre Dame back to the national stage only adds fuel to the fire.
For some, Kelly’s legacy at Notre Dame will always be tarnished by the way he left. While his coaching accomplishments are undeniable, there’s a sense among certain sections of the fanbase that he couldn’t bring them the ultimate prize. Kelly’s departure allowed Freeman to step in and build upon the foundation he had laid, leading to a national title opportunity—a storyline that some see as poetic justice for the Irish faithful who felt that Kelly’s era was one of “almosts.”
### The LSU Perspective: Kelly’s Move to Baton Rouge
From LSU’s perspective, hiring Brian Kelly was a clear attempt to reset the program and restore it to national relevance. After the departure of Ed Orgeron, who had led LSU to a national championship in 2019, the Tigers needed stability and a proven winner. Kelly’s track record at Notre Dame, where he consistently delivered 10-win seasons and playoff berths, made him an attractive candidate. LSU, with its vast recruiting resources and storied history, represented an opportunity for Kelly to finally chase the elusive national title with the added benefit of being able to recruit talent on a different level than Notre Dame.
However, the pressure on Kelly to deliver in Baton Rouge has been immense. While LSU has not yet reached the heights that many fans expected under Kelly, the program remains competitive in the SEC, and many still believe that Kelly’s coaching ability will eventually bring LSU a national championship. But as long as Notre Dame continues to rise without Kelly at the helm, there will always be a lingering question: could Kelly have brought the Irish a national title if he had stayed, or was it only a matter of time before they found their way back to the big stage under a new coach?
### The Verdict: Is Brian Kelly’s Legacy Tarnished?
As Notre Dame prepares for its national championship appearance, Brian Kelly finds himself in an awkward position. On the one hand, his move to LSU has not yet yielded the national title he sought, while on the other, the program he left behind is in the championship mix, with a new head coach leading the way. For many fans, Kelly’s legacy at Notre Dame will be forever linked to the question of what could have been. While his decision to leave may have been a business move and one that offered him a chance to compete for championships at a higher level, it has also opened the door for others to question whether Kelly could have achieved the ultimate goal with the Irish—if only he had stayed.
Ultimately, the answer to that question will remain speculative. What’s certain, however, is that the narrative surrounding Brian Kelly will continue to evolve. With Notre Dame making its first national championship appearance since 1988, Kelly will be dragged into the mud of history—a coach who led the Irish to greatness, but could not close the deal, only to see them achieve what he could not.