Paul Finebaum states Brian Kelly's words about Notre Dame job will 'haunt him'

After spending 12 seasons at Notre Dame, head coach Brian Kelly left the program in 2021 and accepted an offer to take over at LSU. In April 2022, Kelly explained his decision to move on from Notre Dame: “I want to be in an environment where I have the resources to win a national championship.”

Now, three years since Kelly left the Fighting Irish, Notre Dame will compete in the national championship game. Meanwhile, LSU finished the 2024 season 9-4, its worst record under Kelly. It couldn’t be a sweeter scenario for Notre Dame fans.

They surely haven’t forgotten Kelly’s comments. As the Fighting Irish have made their run through the College Football Playoffs this past month, the Notre Dame faithful haven’t been shy to remind Kelly of his aforementioned quote.

During an appearance on The Matt Barrie Show, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum weighed in on the awkward situation for Kelly.

“My relationship with Brian Kelly is very close. He comes on show every Monday,” Finebaum said. “He’s likable, but he used to be very surly, and when he was at Notre Dame, he was not that likable. He had that 28 point blowout against Alabama in the [2012] national championship game. He had two other inexplicable playoff appearances, and I understand his frustration.

“It’s also, you’ve been in a place for a long time, and it’s just not the same. And to me, he made a good decision, but it’s one of those situations where the words will haunt him. And he said it, not you, not me, about not about going someplace where the resources were, and lost four games this year and he was nowhere near the national championship.

“Having been around a lot of Notre Dame fans this year, I was with them all week in New Orleans a week ago — I mean, they are getting as much joy out of winning as they are rubbing it in Brian Kelly’s face.”

Brian Kelly and Notre Dame didn’t part ways on good terms. The longtime head coach resigned after the Fighting Irish finished their regular season, not waiting to coach the team in their impending bowl game.

Marcus Freeman immediately replaced Kelly and the rest is history. In comparison, LSU has posted two 10-win seasons with Kelly at the helm of the program, but is yet to reach the CFP. Although Kelly could still prove he made the right decision in the future, the Fighting Irish currently hold all the bragging rights.