…..I think ND would be in the absolute tank right now if Kelly were still the coach given the changes in CFB and recruiting.
He wanted to rely on the bag and location of talent to get players that he hypocritically eschews here. He was lazy and aloof, and he had stopped trying.
Freeman has much to learn as a coach, but has much, much more upward potential than Kelly. In fact, both are more CEO style coaches than hands on like say…Lou Holtz who could coach both sides of the ball and special teams. But Freeman is far better at attracting good assistant coaches. In fact, he took Kelly’s star coordinator.
While Freeman must produce this year, He is also far better at selling (and believing) in what Notre Dame is offering.
It was a great deal for us. But Kelly is about to hit hard times and he knows it. That is why he is prelubricating with excuses in this video.