Brian Kelly unexpectedly left Notre Dame for LSU in November. Now that he’s in the SEC, Kelly has one challenge in particular he wants to overcome.
In an appearance on the “Varsity House Podcast” on Tuesday, Kelly shared one thing he’s looking forward to getting the chance to do at LSU.
“I want to beat Nick Saban,” Kelly said. “Who doesn’t want to beat Nick Saban? You know what I mean? I want to play him in the regular season. That’s the standard. Now, he’s a conference opponent.”
Beating Saban will be easier said than done.
Kelly is inheriting an LSU team that went 6-6 in 2021, while Saban and his six national titles at Alabama (seven overall) have dominated the college football landscape for over a decade.
The Tigers did land a notable transfer quarterback this offseason, but more improvements need to be made before they’re ready to compete with Alabama.
Kelly does have a history of turning around struggling programs. In 2004, he took over a Central Michigan team that went 3-9 the year prior. He left CMU for Cincinnati after a 9-4 season in 2006.
He restored Notre Dame back to national prominence, taking over a 6-6 team from 2009 and leading them to the national championship game and a 12-1 record in 2012. Under Kelly, the Fighting Irish had two 10-win seasons, two 11-win seasons and one 12-win season over the last five years. The team also made appearances in the College Football Playoff in 2018 and 2020.
To be the best you have to beat the best, and Kelly seems ready for the challenge.
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