Notre Dame football: Reasons Irish will benefit from Brian Kelly’s departure
By Jack Leniart
Brian Kelly’s departure from the Notre Dame football team may have come as a shock, but in the end, the Irish will benefit from him moving on.
Earlier this week, Notre Dame football head coach Brian Kelly announced that he would be leaving to become the next head coach at Louisiana State University. The news caught almost everyone by surprise. Despite being blindsided, there are reasons to believe that Notre Dame could ultimately benefit from this move in the long run.
November 29, 2021, will likely go down as one of the most significant dates in the history of the Notre Dame football program. Brian Kelly, the winningest head coach in Notre Dame football history, announced that he would be stepping down from his current role to become the next head coach at LSU.
On the evening of November 29th, I could not have imagined writing a headline like the one you see in this article. The news was particularly deflating because the current Notre Dame football team is within a stone’s throw of the College Football Playoff. As we came to learn on Tuesday night, losing your head coach factors into how the selection committee ranks your team.
However, the past five days have felt like five weeks. That distortion of time has afforded me some perspective. On top of that, the overall vibe surrounding the Notre Dame football team has done a complete 180.
We have since learned that Marcus Freeman will become the next head coach of the Notre Dame football team. A move that was unanimously praised by the current staff, players, and recruits. In addition to Freeman, virtually all of the current members of the staff have confirmed that they will be staying in South Bend.
Consider yourself blessed, Irish fans, because Oklahoma Sooners fans would do anything to be in your position.
Staff continuity will certainly play a huge role in helping the Notre Dame football program maintain its current level of success while Marcus Freeman becomes accustomed to the increased responsibilities of the head coach position.
There are a few other byproducts of this week’s developments that I think will benefit Notre Dame in both the short-term and long term. Here are three of them.