Brian Kelly on initial thought for LSU job offer: 'Not interested'

Brian Kelly shocked many across college football when he left Notre Dame last offseason and came to LSU. However, in his words, it ended up being the right time for him to make the jump to the SEC.

Kelly spoke with ESPN’s Chris Low at SEC Media Days about coming to Baton Rouge last season. He said that he was originally “not interested” as it was just the latest gig, along with other previous openings like Tennessee, Texas, and in the NFL, to come his way. “The timing” and “challenge” landed on his desk at the right time, though, for him to make a change.

Brian Kelly told me his initial thought when his agent called him about the @LSUfootball job was “not interested.” Kelly said he had opportunities at Tennessee and Texas while at Notre Dame as well as NFL jobs, but the timing of the LSU challenge came at the right time for him.

— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) July 17, 2023

Kelly went 113-40 over 12 seasons in South Bend. That run included 10 bowl appearances and a few shots toward a national title.

Even so, Kelly had seemingly hit a ceiling with the Fighting Irish with a lack of true competitiveness at an independent school during the era of the four-team playoff.

That led to his arrival at LSU last spring. In his first year, he proved that he’s more than capable of competing at the highest level again as the Tigers won 10 games, made the SEC Championship, and were in the discussion for a College Football Playoff berth late in the season.

It’s fascinating to consider what Kelly’s resume could look like had he left Notre Dame sooner. Still, he eventually did make the switch and expects to compete in his new home of Louisiana for the foreseeable future.

Kelly provides insight into continued relationship with Tommy Rees amid new rivalry

Brian Kelly and Tommy Rees go way back. Together, they’ve done just about everything you can do on a football field.

While their longtime link at Notre Dame came to an end last season when Kelly bolted for the LSU Tigers, Rees continued to prove his mettle under Marcus Freeman. He has since followed Kelly to the SEC as the brand-new offensive coordinator of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Rees loves the Fighting Irish, but the opportunity to work under Nick Saban was too good to pass up.

While Rees will now be trying to defeat Kelly’s team, he hit his former boss up for some advice before he took the job in Tuscaloosa, as the LSU leader explained to the media during an appearance at SEC Media Days on SEC Network.

“Well I think what I can share is the first thing is we have a great relationship that we’ve kept since I recruited him and he played for me. I think that, for him, he wanted to make sure that this was the right move in his career. And I felt like it was. I thought it was going to be a great move,” explained Kelly. “It was ultimately his decision. He didn’t make it because I told him to do it. He did it because he felt like it was right. But you don’t get a chance to work for Nick Saban very often, and when you do, good things generally happen. As a matter of fact, mostly all the time, so that’s not a hard track record to look at.

“So if you get a chance to work for Nick Saban, if you get a chance to work at a place like Alabama, that has the type of kind of obviously, unparalleled success, this would be a great opportunity. He felt the same way, and I’m happy for him. I’m going to be happy for him, except for one weekend. Or if there’s implications of a tie, or something.”