”The dynamic of Notre Dame football took a sharp shift when Brian Kelly made a hasty decision to leave. In late 2021, the present LSU coach stunned the world, leaving ND and landing in Louisiana all of a sudden. There have been a lot of doubts and debates over the veteran coach’s mystery exit ever since. Fast forward a few years later, Marcus Freeman shifted the discussion to a rebounded Irish roster, standing only a game away from his dream national championship win. But this transformation never overshadowed the perpetual curiosity over Brian Kelly. Rather, at this pivotal theatre, fans feel extra eager to learn about why Kelly left the building in the first place.

To appease the quench, the LSU phenomenon came up with a reason that actually contradicted his previous one. In the air of controversy, Notre Dame alum Brady Quinn chimed in and took a dig, well only to be checked by insider Matt Moscona.

Insider defends Brian Kelly amidst the recent criticism

In the wake-up of Notre Dame’s stupendous title run, Kelly, 63, re-addressed his decision to leave Notre Dame behind. He wanted to make clear that he wasn’t running from the challenge of taking the Fighting Irish to the national championship front. Rather, he doesn’t believe it was impossible, but it’s just that he looked for a different challenge, and LSU appealed to that urge. Kelly, however, bothered to make a statement after Brady Quinn subtly called out his hypocrisy. ”He said sometime in January that he wanted an environment where they had the resources to win a national championship; that was his words, and just to be fully honest and transparent, that ticked me off,” said the former ND quarterback.

Quinn, however, didn’t sit still with his feelings hurt. He just called the attorney and asked him to file for a collective, formed a board, started a fundraiser, and brought more people in to support and build the necessary background of a national championship win. It made some sense, but until Notre Dame insider Matt Moscona showed up with a very different yet valid point to argue. ”You get ticked; you started a collective; you have raised millions of dollars for NIL. Part of the reason you got Riley Leonard is that you got the sports performance center right. So, Brian Kelly leaving was a call to action to fundraise and get all this, so he was right.”

”Bro, you are confirming his assertion; you are saying exactly why Brian Kelly left. So, why weren’t you doing that for the last 20 years? That was Notre Dame’s problem. It was not Brian Kelly; it was Notre Dame, so my assertion, Notre Dame,” Moscona held up an uncomfortable truth.

He didn’t just stop there. Marcus Freeman has been garnering a lot of eyeballs for turning around the program. But the coach known for ‘learning from mistakes’ attitude couldn’t avoid flakes from the insider. Matt believes, ‘‘Notre Dame still hasn’t achieved anything that Brian Kelly didn’t achieve, mark it, Brian Kelly twice got you into 4-team playoffs. If we were still in a four-team era, Freeman’s team this year wouldn’t be in the playoff.”

Of course, Matt is right. At least, factually. But that is more down to how the teams were ranked in the 12-team bracket. The Power-4 champions were seeded higher than an independent team. That explains why Notre Dame would not have made it to the 4-team playoffs. However, the rankings would have been different were they done last year. Notre Dame may not have edged out an undefeated team like Oregon, but two-loss and three-loss teams? That is up for debate.

But regardless, the former coach will be rooting for his school.

Brian Kelly gets emotional over his old-school players

Brian Kelly has served as the Irish coach from 2010 to 2021. More than a decade is enough period to make a lot of memories, and connections that reach beyond the professional. In his long-standing tenure, Kelly recruited and trained a lot of guys and developed a very warm bond with them. When the 2024 Notre Dame squad locks horns against the Buckeyes on January 2o, many players from the Kelly era will have a ball in their legs.

The veteran coach said he is more than happy for his guys. He wholeheartedly wants them to shine. He knows their special talents; He knows how a few of them were able to play at both sides of the ball and couldn’t wait to see them nail it on the salient night.

However, fans are still far from being convinced of his loyalty. But the veteran coach couldn’t care less, asking them to sell it in whatever way they wanted. The truth remains the same. Kelly wants his successor to get the job done for the Fighting Irish, which he kept unfinished back in 2021.