Notre Dame football: Reasons Irish will benefit from Brian Kelly’s departure

Notre Dame football: Reasons Irish will benefit from Brian Kelly’s departure

Irish now have a head coach who will be much more involved in recruiting

If you were asked to list the strengths and weaknesses of Brian Kelly, you would probably list recruiting as one of his weaknesses. In fairness to Kelly, he is also aware of this. As a result, he has typically built his staff with assistant coaches who are strong recruiters.

That blueprint has worked well enough for the Notre Dame football team in recent seasons, but the transition to a new head coach who is a great recruiter could ultimately help the Irish close the talent gap between them and the elite teams in college football.

In addition to the potential future benefits, this move also provides an immediate impact. A head coaching change will usually result in several recruits de-committing to reassess their college decision. The 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes for the Irish are ranked in the top five nationally and preserving them was a priority.

However, as I mentioned earlier, the vast majority of recruits who are currently committed to Notre Dame almost immediately voiced their support for Marcus Freeman to become the next head coach. By making that hire, Notre Dame was able to mitigate any potential negative effects on recruiting.