Brian Kelly says losses to Alabama didn't lead him to take the LSU job

Brian Kelly is entering his first season at LSU after 12 seasons at Notre Dame. After years of trying to get the Irish back on top, he elected to make the switch to the SEC. That choice didn’t come without scrutiny as some believed he didn’t think he could get it done from South Bend.

The biggest argument for that were Kelly’s previous losses to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the postseason. Notre Dame got to the BCS National Championship in 2012 only to get smoked by Alabama 42-14. They’d rematch in the Rose Bowl during the 2020 College Football Playoff where Nick Saban once again won 31-14. With that in mind, though, Brian Kelly said at SEC Media Days that those games had zero effect on his decision.

“That wasn’t part of my decision making. Those were really good teams. They both won the national championship. I thought we played Alabama better than anybody in that last playoff,” said Kelly. “Their talent was unbelievable on the offensive side of the ball that year. That wasn’t, ‘Well I’m taking the LSU job. Alabama is so much better than us.’ That was not part of the process for me…It really had nothing to do with the Alabama game.

There’s no shame in losing to the eventual champion. There’s even less considering Kelly had independent Notre Dame in position those seasons along with several others during his tenure. In the end, he said it wasn’t about his lack of ability to compete with the Irish. Instead, he says it was all about the opportunity he’d have moving forward in Baton Rouge.

“It was timing, it was this place at LSU, the administration, and the opportunity to bring this program back,” said Kelly.

No matter the motive, Kelly is now the head man for the Tigers. If he truly did want a better chance to compete against the SEC’s best, though, that opportunity is certainly on it’s way as the season draws closer.