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Chicago Sports Tonight: Breaking down the Bears' lackluster loss at Baltimore
Jim Miller joined Lou on CST to discuss what Caleb Williams needs to fix, Jim's belief that Williams will improve and the issues continuing to plague the Bears offense.
The anticipation was tangible in South Bend on October 18.
No. 13 Notre Dame had a chance to earn a ranked win over USC in what could be the last installment of the Jeweled Shaleigh rivalry for a while. The clouds began to form over Notre Dame Stadium. A loss marked the end of any College Football Playoff hopes.
All of that was dispelled for a quick minute.
A joint cheer rose from the tailgates and around Notre Dame’s campus. Vanderbilt had just beaten LSU in a ranked showdown in Nashville. Brian Kelly, the winningest coach in Notre Dame history, had taken another loss after spurning the Irish for a $90 million contract just over three and a half years ago.
Imagine the cheers Sunday evening when the news broke that Kelly was fired after a blowout loss to Texas A&M and the subsequent toppling of his coaching tenure that followed?
It’s easy to fall into that.
Many Irish fans I know were rejoicing as the Kelly Era ended in Baton Rouge. It was validation that Notre Dame didn’t need him to succeed. The guy who left Notre Dame because of his perceived limited resources couldn’t cut it at the program where that excuse doesn’t cut it.
But Notre Dame shouldn’t revel in Kelly’s firing.
Crack a smile if you must, but Notre Dame has already validated itself as a college football contender without Kelly. Specifically, under head coach Marcus Freeman, the Irish are becoming a modern-day contender, with Freeman demonstrating a firm grasp of the recruiting and NIL landscape. I mean, Freeman made the Irish likable last season.
Celebrating Kelly’s firing with vigor feels like rigorously inching closer to the coaching personality that got him fired at LSU in the first place and what earned Notre Dame its unlikable perception when he was in South Bend.
Instead, take Freeman’s approach.
"You never want to see anybody lose a job," Freeman told reporters on Monday. "Coach Kelly gave me an opportunity to come here and I'm always rooting for him."
Big picture view:
Thanking the guy who referred to Notre Dame as "My last place" during press conferences seems easier said than done. You don’t need to thank him, though. You surely don't need to root for him.
LSU is currently reeling after Kelly’s tenure ended on Sunday. The Athletic reported it wasn’t a kind ending, either.
According to The Athletic, the meeting between LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward and Kelly was "very tense." Woodward told Kelly to fire LSU play caller and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan, Kelly argued that he wanted to make other staff moves on top of that. It was reported that Woodward wasn’t comfortable with that, and the situation escalated.
Kelly reportedly ushered in his firing just because he wanted to fire others. If he simply agreed with what Woodward wanted, he might still be in charge at LSU.
His Notre Dame tenure included the iconic images of him screaming at players during a game against South Florida early in his time in South Bend. There was also a time when he physically grabbed assistant David Grimes on the sidelines during a game against Temple.
Kelly had a good eye for coaching talent, but those assistants were as much of a reason for his success as he was.
Consider this: Kelly's last three defensive coordinators at Notre Dame were Mike Elko, Clark Lea and Marcus Freeman. They are all presently head coaches who have their programs at a combined record of 19-4 and ranked in the top 12.
But, that’s who Kelly was as a football coach. He won consistently, but never exponentially.
COLUMN: Notre Dame passes a big USC test, finding the Irish Edge that can carry them to the CFP
Saturday showed Notre Dame has found its preferred style of play that not many teams can match. That’s what Notre Dame is counting on as the Playoffs begin to draw nearer.
What's next:
When Kelly left for LSU, the Irish stood at a crossroads.
Having talked with people close to the situation, the Irish had to make a coaching decision. They could have waited for then-Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell, who had no interest in the open USC job but most likely would have had interest in Notre Dame if he wasn’t coaching in the College Football Playoff.
Somewhere, there’s an alternate universe where Fickell is coaching the Irish and Freeman is coaching the Bearcats. Whether that would have worked out is a moot thought. Kelly’s departure allowed them to take a leap of faith with Freeman. That's paid off.
Freeman has taken Notre Dame to places it wanted to be under Kelly. Check the tape.
Notre Dame is 13-7 in games against ranked teams under Freeman. They were 23-23 in ranked games under Kelly. Freeman beat Indiana, Georgia and Penn State to advance to the national title game. Kelly’s lone shot at a national title at Notre Dame in 2012 has since been vacated in the record books.
On paper, Freeman is a better recruiter and it’s showing. Quarterback CJ Carr could be one of the program’s best quarterbacks. Running back Jeremiyah Love will be a first-round pick. Cornerback Leonard Moore is arguably one of the best defensive backs in college football.
If Notre Dame wins out, they have a decent shot at earning a spot in the CFP.
That’s where the Irish are.
None of the Kelly era hovers over Notre Dame now.
There's no more need for comparisons and ill will. It’s easy to think about those moments and disdain the former football coach. But, there’s no need for that. Revel in how the Freeman Era is leading a program that believes it could be more than the Kelly Era believed it could be.
Somehow, Freeman always seems to have the right words to say.
"I've said this previously, but it's a reminder to be grateful for what you have, because if you're not grateful for what you have, you'll find a way to lose it," Freeman said. "I'm not talking about a coach, I'm talking about in life."