Kelly who?
Marcus Freeman’s introduction as head coach of Notre Dame was more lit than ‘Rudy’
By now you’ve probably heard the news: Brian Kelly packed his bags and crappy southern accent, and lit out for LSU, where he’ll be the new, $95-million-dollar ball coach for the next decade. The decision was reportedly made on the plane back from a Notre Dame recruiting trip and Kelly spent all of three and half minutes explaining to his players. It couldn’t have come at a worse time either, the Fighting Irish lurking just outside the top four with having nothing left to do but wait.
BUT! All is not doom and gloom in South Bend. Far from it. On Friday morning, Notre Dame officially announced Kelly’s replacement, promoting first-year defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to one of the most hallowed posts in college football. Suffice to say, the move was popular in the locker room …
Scenes, as they might say in Dublin. You could be a Boston College die hard (if such a thing existed) and hate Notre Dame with every fiber of your being, and you’d still be hard pressed not to get goosebumps watching this. It’s clear Freeman has the Notre Dame players’ support, and that will take you places in this sport. So will authoring one of the best defenses in the nation during your first season in charge, as Freeman’s rapid rise attests.
Lots of big questions remain: Will Freeman’s Fighting Irish squeak into the CFP? Is Notre Dame cool now? All TBD. But one thing is certain:
Brian Kelly didn’t get a welcome like this at LSU. No chance in hell.