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Brian Kelly lost 6 games the last 4 years (Freeman 4 year predictions?)

Who cares how many games Freeman loses the next 4 years. He could go 7-5, 8-4, 9-3, and 12-0 with a national championship in year 4 and that would eclipse anything Kelly had done in 12 years at ND.
NOT GOING TO HAPPEN !
 
ND under Brian Kelly went 12-1, 11-2, 10-2, 11-1 the last 4 season3. ND finished those seasons ranked #5, #11, #5, & currently #5

The games lost were to:
-2018-15-0 Clemson *National Champions #1
-2019-12-2 Georgia #4 / 9-4 MIchigan #18
-2020 10-2 Clemson #3 / 13-0 Alabama *National Champions #1*
-2021 13-0 UC (Currently #4 and in the College Football Playoffs)
another way of saying that the best Kelly could do was a step below the elite. There are a couple of reasons for that.

There were a lot of guys that Kelly didn't bother recruiting. That was one of the first things Freeman asked him; "Why aren't we recruiting these guys?" Kelly's reply (paraphrasing) " those kind of guys don't give us the time of day."

I really got tired of hearing, "We shop in a different aisle." It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Kelly was willing to settle.

I will take some growing pains for a guy that won't settle for less that the top. I honestly think Kelly didn't believe it was possible. Freeman does.

BTW, those double-digit win seasons are nice, but they have mostly been fool's gold, and have come at the expense of a down USC and a very down Stanford.
 
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Kirby went 8-4 his first season at UGA.. I'd be ok with that for a first year HC with several new position coaches. We're clearly going to go through an adjustment period in the coming season. Even Kelly had a tough time his first season at ND with some inexplanable decisions. What I'll be watching is ND's recruiting. If recruiting continues to improve that's a real positive sign.
 
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BTW, those double-digit win seasons are nice, but they have mostly been fool's gold, and have come at the expense of a down USC and a very down Stanford.
It’s true the schedules weren’t the toughest, but few programs had the consistency to keep winning the games they “should win.” Texas, USC, FSU, Miami, etc., all had the best recruiting advantages, all the facilities, everything, but they didn’t win consistently.

While it’s true we never did get fully over the hump, at least we were right there, which isn’t easy given how many elite programs with all the recruiting advantages can’t consistently win. While I hope I’m wrong, the odds are we fall back rather than get into the elites
 
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It’s true the schedules weren’t the toughest, but few programs had the consistency to keep winning the games they “should win.” Texas, USC, FSU, Miami, etc., all had the best recruiting advantages, all the facilities, everything, but they didn’t win consistently.

While it’s true we never did get fully over the hump, at least we were right there, which isn’t easy given how many elite programs with all the recruiting advantages can’t consistently win. While I hope I’m wrong, the odds are we fall back rather than get into the elites
Well said. Kelly had 40 straight wins over unranked teams. I think there’s a lot to be said for winning pretty much all of the games you’re supposed to.
 
Less wins, equal fun, more big wins, better recruiting, decreased deuchery
exactly, i'd be happy with a 9-3 next season with close losses or even wins vs tOSU and/or Clemson, because with Kelly leading ND, we would have absolutely zero chance.
 
ND under Brian Kelly went 12-1, 11-2, 10-2, 11-1 the last 4 season3. ND finished those seasons ranked #5, #11, #5, & currently #5

The games lost were to:
-2018-15-0 Clemson *National Champions #1
-2019-12-2 Georgia #4 / 9-4 MIchigan #18
-2020 10-2 Clemson #3 / 13-0 Alabama *National Champions #1*
-2021 13-0 UC (Currently #4 and in the College Football Playoffs)
*The combined records of those teams are 72-8 / The average ranking is #4* (Throw out Michigan 63-4 and average ranking of #2)

The 4-year record of the previous coach before Brian Kelly (Weis) was 23-24. The last 3 teams of the Weis era were 3-9, 7-6, 6-6, and all unranked. The program was on a 4 game losing streak when BK arrived

Needless to say, the program is in much, much, much better shape for Marcus Freeman. 4 years from now, will the program be;
1. Better Shape (Playoff Win and or National Championship)
2. Equal Shape (Double Digit wins every year, playoff contender, buzzing around the Top 5 most every year)
3. Worse Shape (9-3's 8-4,s 2nd tier bowl games)
4. Broken (See Davie, Willingham, and Weis)

I am predicting #3, because of the rookie Head Coach struggles at ND. I hope I am wrong and Marcus Freeman gets his National TItle and statue.
The ONLY fact is that Kelly went 44-6 !

Everything else about the future is pure speculation !
 
NCAA vacated, ND still recognizes them is what i understand. I think ND should adopt the NCAA standards and push him back into the 90's
You’re not pushing him back, he’s gone.

You would be pushing ND back.

What the NCAA decided was dead wrong, given the facts and circumstances !
 
Kelly has no idea what he has got his butt into! That upity Boston attitude will go real well with those rednecks.
Kelly knows exactly what he’s doing and that he’s getting paid $ 100,000,000 to do it !
 
BRIAN KELLY WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR THE GAMES HE DID NOT WIN - not for the games he lost.
Not true, he’ll be remembered for his win/loss record and how he bolted from ND to LSU after declaring that he was staying at ND
 
Not true, he’ll be remembered for his win/loss record and how he bolted from ND to LSU after declaring that he was staying at ND
There’s Rockne, Leahy, Parseghian and Holtz … that’s our Mt Rushmore.

Then there’s Devine … who is seen as a caretaker and the beneficiary of his predecessors hard work. A Larry Coker of sorts.

Then there are the mix of failures and those that did not succeed.

Kelly is an anomaly, he doesn’t belong in any of those groups … as time goes on, ND Nations’s view of him will tilt more negative than positive. The wins were nice but nothing really to show for it, and he tapped out rather than complete the mission. That may not be totally fair but that’s how it will play out.
 
ND under Brian Kelly went 12-1, 11-2, 10-2, 11-1 the last 4 season3. ND finished those seasons ranked #5, #11, #5, & currently #5

The games lost were to:
-2018-15-0 Clemson *National Champions #1
-2019-12-2 Georgia #4 / 9-4 MIchigan #18
-2020 10-2 Clemson #3 / 13-0 Alabama *National Champions #1*
-2021 13-0 UC (Currently #4 and in the College Football Playoffs)
*The combined records of those teams are 72-8 / The average ranking is #4* (Throw out Michigan 63-4 and average ranking of #2)

The 4-year record of the previous coach before Brian Kelly (Weis) was 23-24. The last 3 teams of the Weis era were 3-9, 7-6, 6-6, and all unranked. The program was on a 4 game losing streak when BK arrived

Needless to say, the program is in much, much, much better shape for Marcus Freeman. 4 years from now, will the program be;
1. Better Shape (Playoff Win and or National Championship)
2. Equal Shape (Double Digit wins every year, playoff contender, buzzing around the Top 5 most every year)
3. Worse Shape (9-3's 8-4,s 2nd tier bowl games)
4. Broken (See Davie, Willingham, and Weis)

I am predicting #3, because of the rookie Head Coach struggles at ND. I hope I am wrong and Marcus Freeman gets his National TItle and statue.

Kelly also lost 19 games in the 4 years prior to 2018, and lost 14 games during his first 4 years at ND.
So I guess if you want to hold MF to the same standards, we should give him 8 years to figure it out.
 
There’s Rockne, Leahy, Parseghian and Holtz … that’s our Mt Rushmore.

Then there’s Devine … who is seen as a caretaker and the beneficiary of his predecessors hard work. A Larry Coker of sorts.

Then there are the mix of failures and those that did not succeed.

Kelly is an anomaly, he doesn’t belong in any of those groups … as time goes on, ND Nations’s view of him will tilt more negative than positive. The wins were nice but nothing really to show for it, and he tapped out rather than complete the mission. That may not be totally fair but that’s how it will play out.
That’s just your opinion.
 
Kelly also lost 19 games in the 4 years prior to 2018, and lost 14 games during his first 4 years at ND.
So I guess if you want to hold MF to the same standards, we should give him 8 years to figure it out.
There’s a major distinction.

Kelly took over a program in shambles, Freeman is taking over a program at the top.

Kelly’s body of work, his record, speaks for itself.
 
Kelly built a very program.

However, he could not get to the next level which is a championship.

I believe MF will bring a championship to ND.

Recruiting will improve under MF. Kelly and his staff did well in recruiting. MF will have top 5 classes.
 
There’s a major distinction.

Kelly took over a program in shambles, Freeman is taking over a program at the top.

Kelly’s body of work, his record, speaks for itself.
In his first 8 years at ND, Kelly did better with Weis' players in years 1-4 than his own players from year 5-8. Let's look at his whole body of work. In 12 years he had 5 great seasons, and 7 mediocre seasons. The schedule was very beneficial to kelly the last 4-5 years, compared to the previous 7-8. I'm not saying he's a bad coach, but he's far from great.,
 
In his first 8 years at ND, Kelly did better with Weis' players in years 1-4 than his own players from year 5-8. Let's look at his whole body of work. In 12 years he had 5 great seasons, and 7 mediocre seasons. The schedule was very beneficial to kelly the last 4-5 years, compared to the previous 7-8. I'm not saying he's a bad coach, but he's far from great.,
Totally irrelevant.

Kelly took over a program in shambles and built it into a perennial powerhouse, including qualifying to play for three (3) National Championships !

Repeat 3 National Championships !

Freeman is inheriting an elite program.

Let’s hope that he’s able to match Kelly’s success !
 
Totally irrelevant.

Kelly took over a program in shambles and built it into a perennial powerhouse, including qualifying to play for three (3) National Championships !

Repeat 3 National Championships !

Freeman is inheriting an elite program.

Let’s hope that he’s able to match Kelly’s success !
ND is not an elite program, ND has been smoked repeatedly by the elite programs. Elite programs win big games. Kelly never won a big game. He never won a major bowl game., and was repeatedly embarrassed by top 5 and top 10 teams.

ND is a top 10 program. Hopefully Freeman will take the program to the next level.

You write about looking at Kelly's complete body of work, yet at the same time you point to 1/3 of Kelly's tenure as coach. Meanwhile 2/3 of his tenure was mediocre.

Compare that with Holtz who outside of 3 seasons never lost more than 3 games in a season, won a national championship, shouid have won a 2nd, beat elite teams , and won major bowl games. all while playing schedules consisting of 7-8 games vs Top 25 competition and 4 vs top 10 teams on average.

7 of Kelly's 12 seasons ended with 4 or more losses, zero championships, zero major bowl wins, 1-9 vs elite teams, and the sole win required several key players from Clemson out, and 4-15 vs Top 10 teams. He was a good coach, but far from great.
 
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Kelly built a very program.

However, he could not get to the next level which is a championship.

I believe MF will bring a championship to ND.

Recruiting will improve under MF. Kelly and his staff did well in recruiting. MF will have top 5 classes.
A very what program?
 
ND is not an elite program, ND has been smoked repeatedly by the elite programs. Elite programs win big games. Kelly never won a big game. He never won a major bowl game., and was repeatedly embarrassed by top 5 and top 10 teams.

ND is a top 10 program. Hopefully Freeman will take the program to the next level.

You write about looking at Kelly's complete body of work, yet at the same time you point to 1/3 of Kelly's tenure as coach. Meanwhile 2/3 of his tenure was mediocre.

Compare that with Holtz who outside of 3 seasons never lost more than 3 games in a season, won a national championship, shouid have won a 2nd, beat elite teams , and won major bowl games. all while playing schedules consisting of 7-8 games vs Top 25 competition and 4 vs top 10 teams on average.

7 of Kelly's 12 seasons ended with 4 or more losses, zero championships, zero major bowl wins, 1-9 vs elite teams, and the sole win required several key players from Clemson out, and 4-15 vs Top 10 teams. He was a good coach, but far from great.
I’ve come to conclude that you’re just stupid !

The result of games played years ago have nothing to do with the team that Freeman has just inherited.

A team with 1 loss to a team ranked in the top 4 teams in the country.

And that loss was on the players, NOT Kelly.

Freeman has inherited an elite team.
 
I’ve come to conclude that you’re just stupid !

The result of games played years ago have nothing to do with the team that Freeman has just inherited.

A team with 1 loss to a team ranked in the top 4 teams in the country.

And that loss was on the players, NOT Kelly.

Freeman has inherited an elite team.

You resort to name calling when the facts stare up at you.

We are talking about standards, You Kelly fan boys like to compare Kelly to the head coaching failures. I prefer to hold Kelly, and will hold Freeman as well to the standards of the coaching greats. The coaches that won championships. That's the standard all ND coaches should be held too.

You and Kelly must be related, throwing players under the bus just as he does.. High probability it wasn't on the players, but on preparation or a lack of, which was all too consistent during Kelly's tenure when it came to big games.

Freeman inherited a top 10 team, ND is not elite. elite teams win major bowl games, and playoff games. How many of those has Kelly won at ND?
 
Totally irrelevant.

Kelly took over a program in shambles and built it into a perennial powerhouse, including qualifying to play for three (3) National Championships !

Repeat 3 National Championships !

Freeman is inheriting an elite program.

Let’s hope that he’s able to match Kelly’s success !
Let's hope he surpasses it
 
You resort to name calling when the facts stare up at you.

We are talking about standards, You Kelly fan boys like to compare Kelly to the head coaching failures. I prefer to hold Kelly, and will hold Freeman as well to the standards of the coaching greats. The coaches that won championships. That's the standard all ND coaches should be held too.

You and Kelly must be related, throwing players under the bus just as he does.. High probability it wasn't on the players, but on preparation or a lack of, which was all too consistent during Kelly's tenure when it came to big games.

Freeman inherited a top 10 team, ND is not elite. elite teams win major bowl games, and playoff games. How many of those has Kelly won at ND?
It’s not name calling when it’s true.

Your premise was just about the dumbest premise one could make.

You wanted to trade more regular season losses for a NC or major bowl win, but more regular season losses would disqualify ND from being eligible for the playoffs or a major bowl.

Have someone with a brain explain that to you !

Now, I’ll give you another example of how stupid you are.

You labeled me as a “Kelly fan boy” and then went further by stating that we must be related.
I was critical of Kelly from early on, about a number of issues, dating back to before 2012, when I added another criticism.

But, only a moron wouldn’t give the devil his due.
Kelly took a program in shambles and rebuilt it in 3 years into a team that went undefeated in the regular season and then played for the National Championship.

He went on to another undefeated season and qualified for the National Championship playoffs two more times and came close to a third time last year.

The players lost the Cincinnati game, NOT Kelly, you’re just to obtuse to see and accept that.

You and others think that winning games is automatic, that just shows how little you know about football.

Kelly took a program is disarray and transformed it into a annual contender for the National Championship, yet, you and other dolts keep on bashing him, claiming that he wasn’t a very good coach.

His won/loss record proves you wrong !

Kelly is gone, get over your delusional fixation !
 
It’s not name calling when it’s true.

Your premise was just about the dumbest premise one could make.

You wanted to trade more regular season losses for a NC or major bowl win, but more regular season losses would disqualify ND from being eligible for the playoffs or a major bowl.

Have someone with a brain explain that to you !

Now, I’ll give you another example of how stupid you are.

You labeled me as a “Kelly fan boy” and then went further by stating that we must be related.
I was critical of Kelly from early on, about a number of issues, dating back to before 2012, when I added another criticism.

But, only a moron wouldn’t give the devil his due.
Kelly took a program in shambles and rebuilt it in 3 years into a team that went undefeated in the regular season and then played for the National Championship.

He went on to another undefeated season and qualified for the National Championship playoffs two more times and came close to a third time last year.

The players lost the Cincinnati game, NOT Kelly, you’re just to obtuse to see and accept that.

You and others think that winning games is automatic, that just shows how little you know about football.

Kelly took a program is disarray and transformed it into a annual contender for the National Championship, yet, you and other dolts keep on bashing him, claiming that he wasn’t a very good coach.

His won/loss record proves you wrong !

Kelly is gone, get over your delusional fixation !
You point out how he got his teams to play for national championships, but he wasn't even close to competing in those games, and there was zero improvement between the 1st and the 3rd attempt.

The difference between you and I is simply my standards are higher than yours. Honestly I hope you are not in a position of leadership, because you settle for B players. Being in a leadership position, I'm always looking for A players, because they are exceptional and will not only get their tasks completed, but will exceed expectations. As an employer i look at Kelly and i see a B player. Someone that did just enough to keep from getting fired, but failed to exceed expectations. Based on your comments it's clearly the standards you accept. You are happy with doing just enough to avoid getting fired, instead of going above and beyond and exceeding expectations.
 
You point out how he got his teams to play for national championships, but he wasn't even close to competing in those games, and there was zero improvement between the 1st and the 3rd attempt.

The difference between you and I is simply my standards are higher than yours. Honestly I hope you are not in a position of leadership, because you settle for B players. Being in a leadership position, I'm always looking for A players, because they are exceptional and will not only get their tasks completed, but will exceed expectations. As an employer i look at Kelly and i see a B player. Someone that did just enough to keep from getting fired, but failed to exceed expectations. Based on your comments it's clearly the standards you accept. You are happy with doing just enough to avoid getting fired, instead of going above and beyond and exceeding expectations.
When it comes to YOUR standards, Let me see if I understand this, LSU just hired him and is going to pay him $ 100,000,000, and according to you, he’s a “B” player.

What should LSU have paid for an “A” player ?

How did a “B” player manage to take a team in shambles to the National Championship in just 3 years ?

Maybe you should use a qualified headhunter to assess and hire your employees !
 
When it comes to YOUR standards, Let me see if I understand this, LSU just hired him and is going to pay him $ 100,000,000, and according to you, he’s a “B” player.

What should LSU have paid for an “A” player ?

How did a “B” player manage to take a team in shambles to the National Championship in just 3 years ?

Maybe you should use a qualified headhunter to assess and hire your employees !
LSU will soon realize they made a mistake. Kelly will average 3 losses/year in the SEC and will be gone within 5 years. Hiring mistakes happen all
the time, i've made mistakes in hiring, and have learned from those mistakes.
 
LSU will soon realize they made a mistake. Kelly will average 3 losses/year in the SEC and will be gone within 5 years. Hiring mistakes happen all
the time, i've made mistakes in hiring, and have learned from those mistakes.


The obsession continues.
 
How did a “B” player manage to take a team in shambles to the National Championship in just 3 years?
An A player would have WON the national championship, not just gotten there only to get steamrolled. Add in taking the team to the playoffs twice after getting steamrolled in 2012, only to get steamrolled a second and third time, shows zero improvement from 2012. That's a B player. An A player would have figured out a way to win.
 
BK lost 15 games his first four years. Lets see if Marcus can do better than that.
He also lost 19 games in years 5-8 with all of his own players, let's see if Freeman can do better than that.
 
An A player would have WON the national championship, not just gotten there only to get steamrolled. Add in taking the team to the playoffs twice after getting steamrolled in 2012, only to get steamrolled a second and third time, shows zero improvement from 2012. That's a B player. An A player would have figured out a way to win.
Then tell us the name of the “A” player who ND could have hired for the 2010 season that would have delivered a National Championship in 2012
 
He also lost 19 games in years 5-8 with all of his own players, let's see if Freeman can do better than that.
Kelly inherited a program in shambles, Freeman inherited a top 5 team and lost his first game, a game that ND was favored in.

Only a moron wouldn’t understand the difference !
 
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