Skip to main content

The rise, the fall, and the reframing of Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame story

Eric Hansenby: Eric Hansen11/04/25EHansenND
report-brian-kelly-ghosts-notre-dame-amidst-lsu-rumors
Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame story isn’t simply about wins and departures. It’s about how a coach who modernized the Irish program ultimately outgrew its values — and how Marcus Freeman’s rise underscores both Kelly’s impact and his limits. In the end, Notre Dame was better for his arrival … and better for his exit.