Brian Kelly’s departure from Notre Dame may have happened years ago, but the fallout still hangs in the air - and now Kelly is talking about the program he left behind in a very different tone.
The line that helped define the split came in 2021, when Kelly texted his former players to say he was leaving. “Men ... let me first apologize for the late-night text and, more importantly, for not being able to share the news with you in person that I will be leaving Notre Dame,” then-Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly wrote to his players at the time via Pete Sampson of The Athletic. “My love for you is limitless and I am so proud of all that you have accomplished.”
By then, the damage was already done. Kelly was headed to LSU, his standing with Notre Dame fans was badly damaged, and Marcus Freeman - the coach Kelly had brought in from Cincinnati in Jan. `21 - eventually became the face of the program after leading the Fighting Irish to the national championship game in 2024.
On Tuesday, Kelly spoke with Sampson as he looks ahead to a season away from coaching after LSU fired him in 2025. In that conversation, he offered a clear endorsement of Freeman and the job he has done in South Bend.
“It’s extraordinary that a football coach with no head coaching experience has been able to step in the job and do as well as Marcus has,” Kelly said. “I think that that needs to be said. I had 19 years of being a head coach, and I felt like the water is up to my nose at times at Notre Dame.”
Kelly also pushed back on the way his April 2022 comments were interpreted. At the time, he told Ralph D. Russo, then with the AP, that he “(wanted) to be in an environment where I have the resources to win a national championship.”
Speaking on The Independent podcast with Sampson and Matt Fortuna, Kelly said those remarks were “mischaracterized.”
“I didn't leave Notre Dame because they couldn't win a national championship,” Kelly said. “Those words never came out of my mouth. What I said is if I'm going to leave, I'm going to go to a place that can win a national championship.”
He also said he would welcome a return to South Bend in a visible way, not as someone trying to second-guess what Freeman is doing.
“It’s important for me to let them know that I’m supporting and I want to support the program and I want that out there and I want to be visible for a day,” Kelly said of a potential return to South Bend, Ind. “I’m not in there to look at what they’re running offensively or defensively, but I just want to show that I have 100% faith and confidence in what they’re doing and how they’re doing it, not that they need me to validate in any way.”
Sampson’s reporting also floated a few possibilities for Kelly’s next move: another head-coaching job at a school a step down from LSU and Notre Dame, an assistant role, or even a media position.
Each would come with its own twist. Kelly has not coached anywhere other than LSU or Notre Dame since 2009, he hasn’t served as an assistant since he was helming Grand Valley State’s defense in 1990, and he has never exactly been known as a natural media personality.
Still, the résumé is hard to ignore. Kelly owns a 200-76 career record in FBS, a mark that ranks among the top 50 all-time by winning percentage. However this next chapter unfolds, it doesn’t feel like the last time Brian Kelly will be part of the conversation.
In Other News...
Where The Colts Actually Look Strong Entering 2026
If the Colts are going to feel different in 2026, it starts in the places where games are protected and controlled. The offensive line still looks like the safest bet on the roster, anchored by Bernhard Raimann and Quenton Nelson on the left side, and the teams cornerback room and tight end group also stand out as clear strengths in a roster that still has some fragile spots elsewhere. Tyler Warren gives the tight end room real upside, while the line and secondary both give Indianapolis a foundation it can build around.
The catch is that a few of those strengths come with built-in pressure to hold up over a full season. Depth remains a concern in spots, and the defense still has questions around the interior front, while running back leans heavily on Jonathan Taylor to carry the load. Even with Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward Sr. giving the Colts a high-end presence on the outside, the bigger picture is whether those top groups can stay intact long enough to matter when the schedule gets rough. [Read more 🡒]
Tony Dungy Earns All-Time Honor Colts Fans Will Always Appreciate
Tony Dungys place in NFL history keeps getting harder to ignore, and Colts fans have every reason to take pride in it. CBS Sports recently slotted the former Indianapolis head coach among the leagues all-time greats, a fitting nod for a man who helped reshape the franchise and left a lasting imprint on the sport.
Dungys run in Indianapolis came after stops as a defensive coordinator in Pittsburgh and as a head coach in Tampa Bay, but his work with the Colts is what still resonates most in this market. He helped steady a team that had spent years chasing postseason breakthroughs and ultimately delivered the kind of championship moment that changed how the franchise was viewed, even as the full significance of his legacy continues to be appreciated in new ways. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Fans Have Every Reason To Worry About This Receiver Room
The Colts have locked in Alec Pierce on a new contract, a move that gives the offense a clearer No. 1 option on the outside and puts even more pressure on the rest of the passing game to hold up. Josh Downs remains an important piece, but the depth chart behind those two looks thin enough to raise real questions about how sturdy this receiver room will be once the season starts.
Ashton Dulin, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Deion Burks and Anthony Gould are the names available to fill out the rotation, and that group may not be enough if Indianapolis wants to keep pace in a tougher passing environment. It is easy to see why the Colts would at least be linked to veteran help such as Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen or Deebo Samuel, because the front office still has a lot to sort through before this position feels like a strength. [Read more 🡒]