Brian Kelly admits he was ‘surprised’ by adjustment process at LSU

After spending 12 years at Notre Dame, Brian Kelly expected his move to Baton Rouge to be a significant adjustment. However, during an appearance on the College GameDay Podcast, Kelly revealed the move wasn’t as shocking as he expected.

“We were surprised,” Kelly said. “My wife and I thought that we were going to the South and that we would be having to find somewhere to be Catholic, right? But, it’s not Baptist here. This is one of the strongest Catholic enclaves in the entire state, if not the entire South.

“So that was an incredibly smooth transition for us culturally because faith is important, right? And then family can be part of that. So with faith and family, it was an easy transition.”

Kelly was born in Massachusetts and raised in a Catholic Irish-American family. He’s often spoken publicly about his faith and the role it’s played during his professional career. It’s easy to understand Kelly’s concern about moving from South Bend, Indiana, to the bayou.

Nonetheless, it’s apparently worked for the 63-year-old head coach. Kelly is entering his fourth season at the helm of LSU. Last season, the team posted a 9-4 record. It was the first time the Tigers have failed tor reach 10 wins in a season under Kelly.

Along with learning about Louisiana’s culture, Kelly has learned that losing isn’t acceptable at LSU. In turn, he’s determined to make fans proud.

“The football is the expectations that I thought they would be,” Kelly said. “I was at Notre Dame. Those are pretty high expectations, too. Everybody knows football, at least they think they do. Then, you come here and football has a different feel to it. It’s, ‘Put the right kind of team on the field and we’ll support you.’ They want to win every game, and they should want to win every game, but play the game the right way.

“That was apparent to me right out of the gates… The adjustments that I made were much more internal than they were external. We’ve loved it here. It’s been very comfortable for us, and I think a lot of it has to do with the people and the faith. From my perspective, the adjustments that I have to make, or had to make, were much more with our staff and philosophy than anything else.”

Brian Kelly and Co. won’t have to waste anytime this season before having a chance to make a statement. In Week 1, LSU will square off against Clemson at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ABC.