“Oh look, a salty Notre Dame fan.”

“You’re just mad that Brian Kelly left y’all.”

“Notre Dame is a poverty program.”

Thinking back to some of the baseless, and ridiculous commentary from LSU fans after head coach Brian Kelly left the Notre Dame program after 12 years gets even funnier the further we get away from it. It was two college football fan bases who had no reason to hate each other, but one pompous Bostonian created a rift between them.

In reality, Notre Dame fans had good intentions. There was an intent to let them know the shortcomings that Coach Kelly brings to the table, including constant failures in big games, and a less than appealing personality. It was nothing more than a note of caution.

The worst thing that Kelly could have done to the LSU fan base was beating Alabama in year one. An outlier victory in a big game, that win created a false narrative. “Kelly wasn’t the problem. It was Notre Dame.” Time has proven that opinion just wasn’t true.

Even with that 2022 victory over Alabama, Kelly currently holds a 4-8 record against top 25 teams following his 42-13 loss to Alabama on Saturday. It’s funny how things were supposed to get easier down in the Bayou, but the main deficiencies still exist.

Hey, he walked into a bad situation. It’s now year three, so when exactly do we stop with that hollow excuse?

In the era of the transfer portal, and the NIL landscape, those types of excuses are completely bogus. We have seen teams quickly turn fortunes in one offseason, flipping rosters, and setting new standards. In year three of control, there is no excuse for regression to happen, and that’s what we are seeing in 2024.

Currently sitting at 6-3 on the season, there is a pretty easy schedule remaining for LSU. They will play Florida, (24) Vanderbilt, and Oklahoma in the final three games. The Tigers should win the final three, and some fans will resurface and convince themselves that it’s a solid sign of growth even though none of those teams are a great indicator of such.

That doesn’t eliminate the elephant in the room, Kelly has consistently fallen short in the biggest games. But hey, if he wins 9 or 10 games a year that’s good enough, right?

Over the course of his career in South Bend, Notre Dame fans grew impatient with Kelly over his typical catch phrases. “We have to coach better.” “We need to play better.” “We are a young team.” It has been brainwashed in the mind of Irish fans everywhere.

Accountability typically signals actual growth. It’s something we haven’t seen enough of from Coach Kelly over the years. It’s always about what he doesn’t have, and never about what he does, or plans for how growth can actually be gained.

Welcome to purgatory, folks. It won’t get worse from here, but it won’t get much better either. As long as Kelly is the head coach for the LSU Tigers, they will be a good program, but they will never be a great one either. But don’t worry, next year will be better, or at least that is what Kelly will tell you.

Who knows exactly what Marcus Freeman will accomplish at Notre Dame but one thing is certain, he won’t make a bunch of excuses along the way. Whether it works out or doesn’t, there will be accountability at every step. It’s a refreshing perspective that Irish fans are still getting used to after being brainwashed for over a decade.

With seven more years still remaining on his deal, and an average of $10 million being paid per year, the seat definitely isn't hot for Coach Kelly right now. But when does reality begin to set in? 

When it does, LSU and Notre Dame fans can potentially have a good laugh together. Unfortunately most need to go through experiences rather than heed warnings. It’s a learning process, and Tiger nation is definitely learning quickly.