Notre Dame Football: We Were Wrong About Brian Kelly

Not even six months ago, almost the entire nation of Notre Dame football wanted to get rid of head coach Brian Kelly.

Must Read: Reliving the Shocking Death of Knute Rockne

After a 4-8 season, what looked like a failed attempt at coaching in South Bend, and zero control over this football team, most people believed the best thing for Notre Dame football was for Kelly to leave. With the rumors flying around of him heading to the NFL or leaving for another school, people were excited. Three months later, we’re all realizing how wrong we were.

If Kelly left, nothing would be where it is today. People have praised this man’s recruiting since day one. In the worst time, Notre Dame has had since Charlie Weis, the Irish should have had nothing on the recruiting end. Brian Kelly, the man we all hated, beat the odds. Now, the Irish have one of the best recruiting classes of the 2018 class and are quickly building deeper into the future.

Check out any Notre Dame football recruiting board right now if you haven’t. You’d wish it was 2018, 2019, and maybe even 2020 before the 2017 season even starts. He didn’t just get a few quality guys. He’s creating an army of the top football players.

Then, there was the coaching. Obviously, Notre Dame’s defense was their biggest issue in 2016. After Brian VanGorder turned out to be a bust, the Irish were searching for any defensive help mid-season. Not a formula for success at any level of football.

Must Read: 30 Things Irish Fans Need to Do Before They Die

Kelly may not have found the answer before the end of the year, but he did pull off one of the best signings of the offseason. When he added Mike Elko, he took the first step in creating a winning program, possibly for the first time since he’s been on campus.

From here, Kelly told the entire Notre Dame world to shut up. He went on a hiring spree, bringing in Chip Long to run the offense, Matt Balis to finally make the strength and conditioning aspect of this team respectable, and Brian Polian to return to Notre Dame, this time as a special teams coach.

Kelly did everything we wanted him to do. Not only has he built this team into a contender in less than three months, but he did it while the entire world hated him. It took a lot of pride for a man to stay in a place where a vast majority of the fans disliked him. Make that place Notre Dame, and it’s as challenging as it could be.

We knew what he could do. I mean come on, we saw him turn Cincinnati into a competitor from absolutely nothing. But when you step into a program as fully stocked as Notre Dame was at the time, as seem to do nothing but lose a National Championship, people begin to get irritated. We aren’t looking to become Alabama, as nice as that would be, we just want to feel good about the season each year.

Kelly did that, and he did it quick. Three months ago, most Notre Dame fans you asked would’ve disproved of Kelly still being the coach. Today, it would be hard to find someone who doesn’t want him around. To do that with your last record being 4-8 and before playing a single 2017 game is impressive.

Hats off to you Brian Kelly. When your back was against the wall, and there were more articles about wanting you gone than anything else in Notre Dame, you stood your ground. Now, Notre Dame is looking like one of the best teams in college football, and they haven’t even played the Blue and Gold Game yet.

Next: Notre Dame Mock Draft 2.0

It just goes to show, don’t jump to conclusions. Sometimes, the people you least expect turn out have the biggest tricks up their sleeve. Maybe Notre Dame doesn’t do as well as everyone believes. That doesn’t mean Brian Kelly didn’t do everything he needed to and more to win South Bend back.