Twitter reacts to Brian Kelly being named new LSU head coach
The college football world was left speechless after news broke that Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly had agreed to take over from Ed Orgeron at LSU starting next season. LSU limped to a 6-6 record while Notre Dame finished with an impressive 11-1 record during the 2021 college football campaign.
Kelly has been the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team's head coach since 2010 and there weren't many indications that he was about to leave the program. The move surprised everyone, including those at Notre Dame.
The news came out of left-field and social media had their say about the surprising move.
Twitter reacts to Brian Kelly's shocking move to LSU
Reports of Brian Kelly leaving Notre Dame caught everyone off-guard, even Kelly himself. The news was out before he could break to his players. He sent a short, awkward message to the Notre Dame players apologizing for how the news broke and informing them about a 7 am meeting where he would further explain the situation:
Just now Brian Kelly messaged Notre Dame’s roster in Team Works that “I will be leaving Notre Dame.”
The plan is for Kelly to meet with the team tomorrow at 7 a.m.
Here is the full message https://t.co/sqAl2txZIy
LSU is reportedly going to pay Kelly $15 million a year, which would make him the highest-paid college football by some distance. That makes it easier to understand why Kelly decided to leave behind the program he built.
NOTE: The embed below contains NSFW language
How Brian Kelly left Notre Dame when LSU offered him $15 million https://t.co/EL3WQI7dea
College football players have received flak in the past for skipping meaningless Bowl games at the end of the college football season to avoid potential injuries ahead of the NFL draft. Most accuse them of being selfish and putting their interests ahead of the programs' that helped them prepare for life in the NFL. But not many have accused Kelly of the same.
Sports Illustrated's Richard Johnson encapsulated the sentiment with this tweet:
Excited for players to get criticism for skipping minor bowl games again this December while Brian Kelly leaves a team that could literally be in the Playoff twitter.com/rossdellenger/…
ESPN's Jemele Hill also echoed that sentiment:
I’m old enough to remember people excoriating players who sat out of bowl games to protect their professional futures. Keep that same energy with Brian Kelly, who leaves Notre Dame as they are in midst of vying for a spot in the college football playoff.
Kelly's separation from Notre Dame surprised everyone primarily due to the secrecy with which it was pulled off. Not many in the program were aware of the head coach leaving the team for LSU, which led to an awkward and embarrassing situation for one employee:
This is usually how these things go, but Brian Kelly has ghosted everyone at Notre Dame. Just spoke to one assistant who saw reports on his phone tonight as he was exiting a recruit's home: "The news broke when I walked out of the house, so I look like a f----- a--hole."
Plenty was particularly upset about Kelly leaving the Notre Dame job with the team still in the hunt for a spot in the CFB playoffs.
Notre Dame has a legit chance of making the CFP again
Brian Kelly:
https://t.co/vFY6UaHh24
The manner of Kelly's departure has undoubtedly left a sour taste in the mouths of Notre Dame fans. The once-revered coach is now the public enemy #1 for the Fighting Irish faithful.
Brian Kelly literally did the Irish Goodbye to Notre Dame
But what's done is done. If Notre Dame makes it to the CFB playoffs, they'll have to do it without the man who led them there.