Notre Dame Football: What if Jack Swarbrick is the Problem?

Notre Dame football fans are putting all of the Irish’s failures on head coach Brian Kelly. But what if he isn’t the biggest problem in South Bend?

After six seasons, it’s time to move on from Brian Kelly. There’s no question that he’s lost the respect of fans, and is quickly losing the trust of players and recruits. With six lost recruits and three upperclassmen transfers, Notre Dame relationship with Kelly is gone completely south.

There’s no question it’s time for Kelly to leave. There aren’t many people left who believe Kelly is the man meant to lead Notre Dame. Of the few who still have faith, it’s always in the back of their mind that he’s been nothing more than a disappointment. Caring more about advancing his future than the Irish winning.

Think about this, though. If most people reading this were the athletic director at Notre Dame, Brian Kelly wouldn’t have had a job by Sunday morning after the USC disaster. Jack Swarbrick, the current AD at the University of Notre Dame, doesn’t agree.

No matter what Kelly does, Swarbrick has his back. Whether he goes 4-8, starts searching for a new job, interviews with the Philadelphia Eagles, or losses six recruits in less than two months, Swarbrick is sure Kelly is the man for the job.

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It’s apparent that Kelly is an issue. There’s no denying that his time in South Bend should be over. But with the constant backing that Swarbrick does, Kelly may never leave Notre Dame. Yes, that’s a pretty big exaggeration, but at this point, it’s hard to think of anything worse Kelly can do.

What if Kelly isn’t the biggest problem, though? What if we’re all putting the blame on his shoulders, which is expected. But Kelly should be fired, and we all know it.

So, why hasn’t he been? The answer may be answered with another question – What if Jack Swarbrick is the problem?

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As the athletic director, it’s hard to say the hardships of a football team are his fault. He doesn’t run the team, recruit players, or have a huge say in the hiring of coordinators. What he can do is get rid of Kelly.

There’s no possible way Swarbrick is the only person who doesn’t see how bad Kelly is for the Irish. You never want to say that money is the reason for keeping a coach, but with Kelly’s contract, it very well could be.

Kelly’s contract through 2021 is believed to be roughly $4 million. That means that if Swarbrick were to fire the head coach, Notre Dame would owe Kelly somewhere near $20 million. That’s a lot of money to make up for a mistake, but at some time, you need to make the decision – Football or money.

It then comes down to who we put the blame on. Kelly needs to be accounted for when speaking of Notre Dame’s failures. But when it comes to changes, Kelly isn’t the reason he hasn’t been fired. The way he seems to want to find a new job, he may have done a better job at firing himself than Swarbrick has done.

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All the blame surrounding Notre Dame football can’t be placed entirely on Brian Kelly. He’s the reason they aren’t winning. Jack Swarbrick is the reason for everything else. No one knows if the Irish would lose six recruits and three upperclassmen if Kelly were fired. But it’s time for answers, and right now, there are none.

Kelly is the biggest issue in South Bend. Until Swarbrick does something, though, he’s just as big of a roadblock.

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