MOSCONA: Kelly-Freeman debate far from settled

By Matt Moscona

As soon as Drew Allar’s last-ditch lateral sailed (fittingly) out of bounds, the Internet hot take machine fired up. Run a Google search of Brian Kelly’s name, and see what pops up.

Brian Kelly was the biggest loser of Notre Dame’s Orange Bowl win, read one headline.

James Franklin? Nah, Brian Kelly is the big loser as Notre Dame reaches CFP title game, read another.

It’s official: Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame won the breakup with Brian Kelly, another.

Sigh.

The sports media echo chamber can be simultaneously hilarious and exhausting. Two things can also be true at the same time.

Let’s start with Freeman and the Irish. After one of the most embarrassing losses in the storied program’s history–a home loss as a four-touchdown favorite against a team that finished .500 in the MAC–Freeman and his squad didn’t fold. Instead, the Irish have rattled off 13 straight wins and will play for the national championship for the first time since you-know-who got them there in 2012.

Not only has Freeman orchestrated an impressive winning streak, he’s done so with less. ESPN Draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. updated his position rankings for the 2025 NFL Draft, and you might need a magnifying glass to find a Notre Dame player. Riley Leonard is the tenth best quarterback. Mitchell Evans is the seventh best tight end. Xavier Watts is fifth among safeties. That’s it.

Now, hop in the DeLorean and crank that thing up to 88, and let’s go back to that January night in 2013 when Brian Kelly’s undefeated Irish got blasted by Alabama, 42-14. Nick Saban’s team featured two dozen players that would be drafted, including six first rounders. Eddie Lacy, T.J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake were the ball carriers running behind Chance Warmack, DJ Fluker and Barrett Jones. Amari Cooper was catching passes from AJ McCarron. Oh, we haven’t even started talking about the defense that led the country allowing eight (!) points per game. It turns out their defensive coordinator was pretty good that year. Anyone know what happened to Kirby Smart?

How would Marcus Freeman’s group have fared that night? We could guess, but we would have never known because Freeman’s team wouldn’t have made the BCS Championship Game when only two teams were invited to the party. Come to think of it, Freeman’s Irish wouldn’t have made the playoff in any of the years Kelly did. That was a far more selective four-team field, so these Irish would have been watching like the rest of us.

That is probably a good thing, anyway. The 2018 Clemson Tigers boasted four first round picks on the defensive line and an offense with Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, Justyn Ross and Tee Higgins. They blasted Alabama, 44-16, in the title game.

The 2020 Tide were salty too, scoring 48 points per game. Freeman is a great defensive coach, but the greatest scheme on earth wasn’t locking down DeVonta Smith, John Metchie and Jaylen Waddle. And if the Tide wanted to run it, Najee Harris and Brian Robinson were decent too.

Marcus Freeman hasn’t elevated Notre Dame to rival those great championship teams. Instead, this era of college football with the Transfer Portal, NIL and an expanded playoff has made it more difficult for the game’s superpowers to maintain their perch atop the sport.

None of this is to diminish what Freeman’s team has achieved already in 2024, but minimizing what Kelly did over a dozen years in South Bend is absurd.

Lou Holtz’s last double-digit win season was in 1994. From that season until Kelly took over in 2010, Notre Dame reached 10 wins just twice with four different coaches. Kelly did it seven times in 12 seasons, including the aforementioned appearances in the BCS title game and four team CFP. He inarguably elevated the program before bumping up against a glass ceiling–and NFL rosters from the south.

When Kelly bolted for Baton Rouge, his Irish teams had made the four-team playoff and lost to teams with superior rosters. Meanwhile, he watched Ed Orgeron hoist the trophy with the greatest assembly of talent ever on a college football field. Yes, LSU has more resources than Notre Dame. The 2026 recruiting class in Louisiana features six players in the Top 100 of the On3 Composite and all of them live within an hour of LSU’s campus. Mix that talent with a history, the SEC allure, rabid fans and a committed administration, and you have the ingredients for a championship in any given season.

Also true is that Kelly handed Freeman a program that finished the prior season one spot outside the CFP while Kelly took over a smoldering heap from Orgeron. Freeman was handed the keys to the car while Kelly had to rebuild the engine.

Watching Brian Kelly Derangement Syndrome run amok on the Internet is admittedly odd.

Perhaps Kelly will never win the big one at LSU. If he doesn’t, history will judge his move accordingly. Likewise, his time at Notre Dame should be judged appropriately.

Two things can be true at the same time: Marcus Freeman has done a great job at Notre Dame, but he hasn’t accomplished anything more than Kelly did–until he wins the last game.