The football season has descended into chaos, with coaches fired left and right, including UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster, Brent Pry from Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy, Sam Pittman at Arkansas following the loss to Notre Dame, James Franklin from Penn State, UAB head coach Trent Dilfer, Oregon State’s Trent Bray, Florida’s Billy Napier and Colorado State’s Jay Norvell.
Head coach Marcus Freeman commented on the state of college football, saying, ”You can like it or not like it. It is what it is, and you can’t worry about that. You have to worry about giving your all to this team and putting this program in a position to have success.”
But the most recent addition to the list is now-former LSU and Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, who made headlines around the country after the team’s 49-25 loss to Texas A&M. Kelly finished his time at LSU with an overall record of 34-14.
This firing has exploded the internet, especially surrounding the South Bend area. Kelly got a lot of reflections following his dismissal.
”You never want to see anybody lose a job,” Freeman said. ”That person, the coaches, the families, the people affected, the players [and] especially somebody you know. Coach Kelly gave me an opportunity to come here, and I’m always rooting for him.”
Freeman also commented on being a head coach and what comes with the job.
”It’s also the profession we have chosen. We’ve chosen this profession and we know that it can be a result of choosing this profession,” he said.
Both coaches improved the Notre Dame football team, but their legacies are distinct from each other.
Marcus Freeman
Freeman is in his fourth year as head coach at Notre Dame, and like Kelly, he has dealt with low moments and high expectations. That said, he has consistently improved since he took over the team in 2021.
In the 2021-2022 season, Kelly and Freeman overlapped as coaches, with Freeman serving as the defensive coordinator for the team for the entire regular season. That would change, however, come December, as he took the reins following Kelly’s abrupt departure from the team to take on the LSU job. Freeman took the team to the Fiesta Bowl that season, but fell 37-35 against Oklahoma State.
In a bumpy first full year as head coach, Freeman led the team to an overall record of 8-4, including two upset losses against Marshall and Stanford. The Irish made the Gator Bowl, where they pulled off a 45-38 victory over South Carolina.
Going into his second season, which looked more appealing to fans’ eyes, Freeman led the team to an overall record of 10-3 and rounded out the season with a 40-8 beatdown of Oregon State in the Sun Bowl.
His third season in charge would come to be his most respected season thus far. It came with a massive bump in the road that Freeman had to overcome: a shocking 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois in the team’s home opener. This raised many questions regarding Freeman’s leadership. But he proved them wrong as he took the team to the national championship for the first time in his career at Notre Dame. While they eventually fell short in a 34-23 loss against Ohio State, the 2024 season was a success story.
Now in the current season, Freeman and the Irish stand at 5-2. Their season kicked off with a heart-wrenching 27-24 loss against Miami and a 41-40 loss against Texas A&M at home a game later. Quickly turning things around, Freeman’s squad won the next five games against Purdue (56-30), Arkansas (56-13), Boise State (28-7), NC State (36-7) and USC (34-24).
Overall: 38-12
Win average: 9.5
Loss average: 3
Brian Kelly
Kelly coached at Notre Dame for nearly 11 years. He began his journey with the Irish in 2010, finishing the season 8-5. In addition to this, the team competed in the Sun Bowl against Miami, taking a 33-17 win. In his second season, Kelly finished 8-5 once again and took them to the 2011 Champs Bowl, but lost 18-14 against Florida State.
In season three, one of the best of his tenure, Kelly finished with a record of 12-1, his only loss being in the BCS National Championship against No. 2-ranked Alabama. But getting to the national championship was not the only interesting thing happening. Shortly following the season, the team found out about a catfishing scheme involving former player Manti Te’o, who was the victim of the well-known scandal.
His next two seasons were not as successful. Kelly finished his fourth season with the Irish 9-4 and his fifth season 8-5. Kelly managed a comeback in his sixth season, going 10-3, but his luck didn’t last long, as in his seventh season, the team went 4-8 and did not compete in a bowl that year. This was the low water mark of his time in South Bend.
Headed into his eighth, ninth and 10th seasons, Kelly more than righted the ship, going 10-3 in 2017, 12-1 with a College Football Playoff Semifinal appearance and 11-2 in 2019. Kelly would continue to succeed in season 11, as he took the group back to the CFP Semifinal once more in 2020, finishing the season with an overall record of 10-2. Kelly finished his final season with the Irish in 2021, going 11-2 and stepping down before the Fiesta Bowl.
Overall: 113-40
Win Average: 9.41
Loss Average: 3.3
While Kelly made history at Notre Dame as the “winningest coach of all time“ with 113 wins over his 12 seasons, Freeman has shown the same talent in his more limited time. He has kept the floor high and shows the team’s growth every season.
