Why did Brian Kelly leave Notre Dame? Exploring the collegiate gig of the LSU head coach

For 12 solid years, Notre Dame and Brian Kelly shared what seemed to be an unbreakable bond. The veteran coach assumed the head coaching role at Notre Dame after the 2009 regular season and remained in this role until the end of the 2021 regular season. He resigned from the post and took up the same role at LSU.

The decision came as a shock to many in the college football world. Kelly had just led the Fighting Irish to an 11-1 season. He had also led them to the College Football Playoffs just the previous season. This got many fans wondering why Kelly was leaving a successful career at a moment's notice.

The reason came to light later in 2022 as he prepared for his first season in charge of the Tigers. According to AP news, in an interview with the Associated Press, Kelly revealed that he'd become dissatisfied with the way the football program at Notre Dame was being handled. He said,

"I felt like I did everything that I could at Notre Dame and they felt like they did everything they could for me. I felt like we had both got to a point where this is what they could do, right? This is what I did. And we couldn't get past that. Okay? And so here we are."

In other words, the school felt it couldn't do more than it already did, whereas Kelly wanted more. He recalled constantly requesting that the school commit more resources to the football team. In addition, he wanted improvements in the facilities around the school's athletic center. But his requests were not entertained.

Apart from Kelly's reasons for leaving, there's an abiding belief among Notre Dame fans that he left because of LSU's offer of a 10-year, $95 million deal. It would be disappointing to learn money is the reason for Kelly because he had once claimed that only a fairy godmother with a $250 million check could lure him away from South Bend.

Brian Kelly's record at Notre Dame and how he's faring at LSU

Brian left South Bend with a 92-40 record. In his first season at Louisiana, he posted a 10-4 overall record, going 6-2 in the lead. His second season with the Tigers has also not gone according to his expectations, losing 24-45 to the Florida State Seminoles.

It is still early to judge how this season might turn out for Brian and the LSU Tigers.