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Notre Dame football: What is the Legacy of Brian Kelly with the Irish?

By Daniel Morrison

BLACKSBURG, VA - OCTOBER 09: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on before the game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Lane Stadium on October 9, 2021 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA - OCTOBER 09: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on before the game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Lane Stadium on October 9, 2021 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Brian Kelly, named LSU Head Football Coach arrives at the Baton Rouge Airport.. Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021.Brian Kelley Lsu Coach2 7666
Brian Kelly, named LSU Head Football Coach arrives at the Baton Rouge Airport.. Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021.Brian Kelley Lsu Coach2 7666 /

Notre Dame football: What is the Legacy of Brian Kelly with the Irish?

How he left

Part of Kelly’s legacy is always going to be how he left Notre Dame. He didn’t tell anyone in the building that this was something that he was planning. That didn’t give the Notre Dame administration a chance to respond to LSU’s contract offer.

It also means that he probably didn’t want to give them a chance to respond. He decided to hold a meeting at 7 am after the news broke, only spending a few minutes to tell the players. He didn’t take any questions and left quickly.

Reports trickled in throughout the day that Kelly was trying to convince several assistants to go with him to LSU. Some of them, though definitely not all of them, are going to follow him there because of the higher salaries offered and loyalty to Kelly.

All of this leaves a sour taste in your mouth in the immediate aftermath, but it is something that is going to pass with time. This is, ultimately, pretty standard. Notre Dame fans just aren’t used to it, with the last Irish coach to leave Notre Dame for another team being Thomas Barry following the 1907 season.

In other words, the way Kelly left isn’t going to be as big a deal to Kelly’s legacy as the fact he left. He decided that the Notre Dame job isn’t as good as the LSU job, and he has a better chance of winning a championship there. That is a bigger insult than any of the details to how he left.

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