Former Notre Dame HC Brian Kelly names his favorite to win a National Championship heading into the 2026 season
Former Notre Dame HC Brian Kelly is doing some analyst work for CBS Sports. Here made his early 2026 National Championship pick.
Brian Kelly resurfaced this offseason in a new role with CBS Sports, and the former Notre Dame and LSU head coach is already making waves with his college football predictions for the 2026 season.
Kelly, who spent months largely out of the public spotlight following financial and legal disputes tied to his exit from LSU, has taken on an analyst position as he eyes a potential return to the sidelines. In one of his first notable segments, Kelly made his pick for the team to beat entering next season: the Texas Longhorns.
Kelly discussed the Longhorns at length, focusing on what makes head coach Steve Sarkisian’s roster so dangerous heading into the fall. A significant part of that conversation centered on quarterback Arch Manning, who enters his second year as the starter.
Kelly pointed to something subtle but meaningful about Manning’s situation compared to last offseason. The attention surrounding Manning has quieted, and Kelly believes that dynamic is healthy for a Texas team hoping to make a deep College Football Playoff run and contend for a national title.
Texas has the talent to back up the hype
It is hard to argue with the overall talent level that the Longhorns bring back. Manning has weapons galore around him, including wide receivers Cam Coleman, Ryan Wingo, Hollywood Smothers, and Raleek Brown. That collection of pass catchers gives Sarkisian one of the most dynamic offensive skill groups in the country, and it will be fascinating to watch how that room develops through fall camp.
The key for Texas, however, will be the offensive line.
The Longhorns made significant investments in the trenches through the transfer portal this past offseason, and how quickly that reshuffled unit comes together will likely determine the ceiling of this offense. Manning’s development took a massive step last season, but keeping him upright and creating a consistent rushing attack will be critical for a team with legitimate championship aspirations.
The defense has pillar players under new leadership
On the other side of the ball, Texas will operate under new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. The Longhorns have some foundational pieces to build around, most notably star pass rusher Colin Simmons and safety Jelani McDonald. Those two players give Muschamp a strong starting point as he installs his system and tries to elevate a defense that needs to complement what should be an explosive offense.
The Longhorns are certainly a team that, on paper, appears ready to make a deep title run. Whether they can live up to that billing once the season kicks off is another question entirely, but the roster construction under Sarkisian suggests Texas will be in the conversation from start to finish.
Will Sarkisian finally be able to answer the big game questions this season?
What about Notre Dame?
Kelly has been complimentary of Notre Dame in recent interviews throughout this offseason, which adds another layer to his return to the media landscape. The former Fighting Irish head coach spent over a decade in South Bend before departing for LSU, and his perspective on head coach Marcus Freeman and the current state of the program will be worth monitoring as his CBS Sports role expands.
Whether Kelly ends up being right about the Longhorns remains to be seen. But his willingness to go on the record with a strong prediction this early signals that his time away from the spotlight has not dulled his appetite for college football conversation. For Notre Dame fans, the bigger question might be what Kelly has to say about the Fighting Irish when he eventually turns his attention back to his former program.