The College Football Playoff National Championship is set as the Ohio State Buckeyes will face off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. As Notre Dame has advanced through the College Football Playoff, each step of the way the fanbase and the media have taken their chances to take their turns taking shots at Brian Kelly.
Notre Dame fans have cited Brian Kelly leaving and why he said he was leaving using it as a chance to put the coach down while Marcus Freeman has taken them to the National Championship. Despite how the Notre Dame fans are treating their former Coach, Brian Kelly is rooting for the Fighting Irish to win the National Championship.
Brian Kelly spoke with Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports and 24/7 Sports saying the following about Notre Dame.
"A lot of the guys there that are on both sides of the ball, I recruited. Obviously I want to see those guys win it all, and I think they’re in a great position. Totally excited for those guys"Brian Kelly
Kelly further went on to address why he left Notre Dame as his quotes from his introductory press conference have been cited as Notre Dame has moved on.
"I wasn’t leaving Notre Dame because I couldn’t win a championship. You can win championships at Notre Dame, but I chose another path because I wanted a different challenge."Brian Kelly
It is interesting to see Brian Kelly addressing the backlash especially as the National Title game approaches. While Kelly will publically say that he's rooting for the Fighting Irish, its hard to imagine that he truly wants his successor to take Notre Dame where he never could but, he may just be that kind of person. If Notre Dame wins it all it only means more backlash for Brian Kelly which may be exactly what he needs to go on a run at LSU.