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Brian Kelly Responds To Backlash For His Comments About Leaving Notre Dame

by Staff Reporter

January 14, 202552 Comments

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

CBS Sports reporter Brandon Marcello caught up with LSU coach Brian Kelly at the American Football Coaches Association meeting in Charlotte this week and asked about his former team, Notre Dame, competing for a National Championship on Monday night.

Kelly said he is pulling for the Irish to beat Ohio State, since he recruited a lot of those players.

quote:
"I'm happy for all those guys, I pull for them," Kelly told CBS Sports as he exited an American Football Coaches Association meeting Tuesday in Charlotte. "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 also addressed the backlash that he has received about his comments when he left Notre Dame to pursue a National Championship at LSU, suggesting that 'fans and media misinterpreted his words.'

quote:
"They're selling it the way they want to sell it," he 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 felt like I did everything that I could at Notre Dame and they felt like they did everything they could do for me," he said at the time. "I felt like we had both got to a point where this is what they could do, right? This is what I did. And we couldn't get past that. OK? And so here we are."

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Originally published on TigerDroppings.com

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QB•4 months

in other words, LSU was willing to pay a lot more money. Let's don't pretend otherwise.

Vernonbrew22•4 months

Kelly will not be sad if Buckeyes roll Irish. Could happen but football is a funny game! LV got some serious doubts of an Irish win. Tigers get there next season

Saunson69•4 months

Notre Dame's most difficult game pre Playoffs was Army or Texas A&M. That was the creme de le creme of their schedule. LSU would potentially be 11-1 or min 10-2 with that schedule.

GeauxTigers1410•4 months

They beat A/M and USC. If we had done the same, we would have made the playoffs over SMU.

reiszner•4 months

The biggest thing is that BK at ND was pre portal, nil, and 12 team playoff. So yeah I think BK would have been even more successful at ND than he was before the new landscape of CFB.

We are witnessing what BK does best, get good olayers, coaches, people, into to LSU to be successful. He is really great at building a program.

Now can we be successful enough to win it all? We'll see...

crewdepoo•4 months

Pre portal,NIL, & playoffs LSU was a better job. Not sure you can say the same now.

jp4lsu•4 months

He left ND to get more talent to win a title. That's the truth. Now just so happens the talent wasn't good on D when he got here and the portal didn't help at all and his pick for DC was terrible. I think had his DC pick been better and he had decent talent in the secondary when he had JD5, he could've won a title here. But it was Kelly's decisions ultimately that kept it from happening.
But talent wise ND is not at OSU's level and I don't think it will be a close game.

QB•4 months

BK is Dinardo redo until he proves differently.

PalletJack•4 months

All you spoiled brats need to remember that LSU was on the brink of another Hallman to Dinardo decade, possibly worse. Kelly put this program on the right path immediately upon arrival. If he never wins it all then that will be unfortunate because he deserves that as a reward

Tiger in Gatorland•4 months

Yea, ok.

ZenFNmaster•4 months

You restore my faith in humanity bro. Thank you.

slowburn•4 months

ND plays a soft schedule each and every year and as luck would have it, they played a Georgia team without their starting QB. The real championship was played last week, OS beat Texas. ND will be blown out.

BradHawpe•4 months

you can't keep saying this when LSU lost to 2 of the teams ND played this year. How are you not embarrassed posting that.

SofaKingTrill•4 months

I mean. They played 3 playoff teams. (Indiana, Georgia, Penn State). They played USC, Texas A&M, Louisville, Army, and Navy. They played a much tougher schedule than LSU and they're 14-1.

Doctor K•4 months

No one said this years LSU team was a contender! When BK came to LSU he had 32 scholarship players, he has done a great job. He will when win NC

CrystalPreserves•4 months

People thought Georgia would run them out of the stadium too.

ND wins by 13. They got rid of the coach that guaranteed they’d never win the big games.

Popstiger•4 months

Check back in a couple of weeks and we will see if they can

rileytiger•4 months

Georgia did not have their starting QB either. 13 points plus the better team...would take that bet all day.

DVinBR•4 months

if you were making $100k and someone walked up and said they would pay you $300k to do the same thing, you wouldn't turn it down

LSUbacchus81•4 months

You recruited huh BK

Popstiger•4 months

Probably in the top 5 recruiters in the country IMO

TigerFanPA•4 months

Yeah, he did.

Jasharts77•4 months

Ohio st in a blow out

Jdublsu•4 months

ND loses by 17

Revorising•4 months

ND will lose and this will all go away. BK keep going yo thing playboy.

CollegeTry•4 months

I would bet my wife that Ohio St runs them out of the stadium.

LSUSUPERSTAR•4 months

Nobody wants your wife bro!

Popstiger•4 months

That is good right there. I laughed

Show 3 more replies in this conversation

purple18•4 months

What did he say that deserves the so say “backlash” that he’s getting. It’s obvious anything that BK says, the media and ND fans will find an issue with. After we win the Natty next year, they can all STFU

UpstairsComputer•4 months

Don't you mean STTDB?

brewdrees•4 months

Notre Dame cupcake schedule, I probably could get to the Championship

Tiger in Gatorland•4 months

But BK said he did all he could do there.

creoletiger1224•4 months

That cupcake schedule got BK a $100M contract and a lot of fools thinking he was beating ranked opponents.

biglego•4 months

Well there wasn’t a 12-team tournament when BK was there.

ImBatman•4 months

BK did for the money!

Sissidog02•4 months

Who doesn’t do it for money, even whores would rather be prostitutes.

Timeoday•4 months

It is obviously working out for ND and the Tigers will be there next year. So I see a win win for everyone but the naysayers.

GeauxGutsy•4 months

This is bait!

Mr Cell Phone•4 months

BK will get his turn in the near future ND played the 58 toughest schedule LSU played the right toughest . The SEC is a war , ND is an independent.

GentleJackJones•4 months

“The SEC is a war?” In 2024, is it really though…? I saw Alabama go 8-4 and lose to Vanderbilt and a terrible Michigan team. I saw OU lose to Navy. I saw Tennessee just get curb stomped by Ohio State. I saw Florida go 8-5. I saw the best South Carolina team in some time lose to Illinois. I saw purportedly the best Ole Miss team in some time go 10-3.
I saw A&M lose to Notre Dame. I saw our SEC Champs and most talented team lose to Notre Dame by 13 points. I saw LSU our 4 loss Tigers very narrowly escape 6 losses (some of those were blowouts).

Put simple, conference has changed. It ain’t the same.

CollegeTry•4 months

Truth. Saban had one helluva run and he raised the bar across the conference. A rising tide lifts all boats. Factor in the transfer portable which has completely changed roster depth and turnover, and you have a different ballgame, ladies and gents.

JustinT37•4 months

ND lost to Northern Illinois. Pump the brakes

Show 2 more replies in this conversation

Kreg Jennings•4 months

Woodward bet the house on BK. Easier to do with other people’s money. But, it’s who he’s always been. Just ask Jimbo.

themunch•4 months

Thank Kreg

biglego•4 months

Yes he’s the AD who hired coaches that just won NCs in baseball and WBB. He spent big on Mulkey but you aren’t mad about that. He spent big on a football coach bc at the time LSU needed stability and experience.

The blind hatred is hard to understand.

ianfson1•4 months

What's he supposed to use, his own money?

Show 1 last reply in this conversation