Showing confidence in Brian Kelly

Monday afternoon, I was talking to a friend about LSU’s open head coaching position.
He made a point that, at the time, made sense.
“Rhett, outside of Saban or Dabo, I don’t think there’s anything they can do that will surprise me at this point.”
Then, the other shoe dropped.
I haven’t asked him his opinion yet, but I can tell you that I was surprised at LSU’s choice for its next head football coach.
They chose Brian Kelly, previously of Notre Dame and famously of minimal desire to cultivate social skills.
A midwest guy. A guy who, for all the pomp and circumstance surrounding his significant name, some deemed unworthy of the title of LSU head football coach.
If you were a sports fan, you likely had an opinion about the hire Monday night. And, if you are a sports fan who is connected to social media, you likely shared that opinion on social media.
The opinions were as far-reaching as the east is from the (mid)west. Some saw it as a slam dunk, others thought he can’t win a big game.
Some think he’s too old. Others believe his age make him a prime candidate for the job as he has no choice but to hit the ground running.
For the record, Kelly is three months younger than Ed Orgeron. Who no one seemed to bat an eye at signing a six-year contract extension just last year after the national championship season.
On top of that, no one seemed to bat an eye at Orgeron’s nine-million dollar salary this past year. Kelly’s contract is reportedly in the 10-year, $100 million territory.
If he sees the life of the contract out, that will put him at the age Nick Saban currently is as the head coach at Alabama.
So, I guess the argument on my behalf is that the age, the background, the former jobs do not work as negatives for Kelly.
I’ll go as far as to say this: Brian Kelly is a home-run hire for LSU.
For all the bluster surrounding Saban and Dabo Swinney, there is a very real argument to be made that Brian Kelly is the third-best coach in America.
He’s made the College Football Playoff on two occasions, and made the BCS national championship game in 2012 against Alabama.
He did this at Notre Dame, famous for overachieving in recruiting circles for its moral and academic restrictions.
He is the owner of five-consecutive 10-win seasons. He’s posted two losing seasons in his 18 years at the FBS level, one of those at Central Michigan. His first year there.
He’s big on developing offensive linemen and running the football. These, if you remember, were two primary complaints about Ed Orgeron’s final year at LSU.
He is a no nonsense personality. I believe Orgeron was a bit long on the nonsense in his final two years in Baton Rouge.
He wins. In his 27 years as a head coach, he’s averaged nine wins per year.
That’s a stellar resume. Dare I say, the most impressive one to ever be hired on in Baton Rouge.
More than all those things, LSU is embroiled in Title IX scandals at the moment.
Is a blustery old man the way to change the culture? Perhaps.
There are many questions to be answered about Kelly. How will he transition? Can his personality work at LSU? It remains to be seen.
But, I’m of the belief that Kelly can and will work in Baton Rouge. It takes confidence and gumption to step into the lion’s mouth of the SEC with no previous experience.
Kelly was the king of South Bend. He had no reason to make this move. He has nothing to prove.
What he saw though was the writing on the wall: LSU provides him a better chance to win a national championship than he had in South Bend.
That confidence in his ability, the talent he’s inheriting and his distinct advantage in coaching prowess he holds over Orgeron makes me believe that he is the right man for the job.