Head Coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Brian Kelly has appeared on a few media outlets this off season, each time tip-toeing around the tough question of when the season will start.
This afternoon he made a guest appearance on Collin Cowherd's FS1 show, "The Herd."
But at this point the what-if scenario's are a bit overplayed so I wanted to skip the doom and gloom.
X's and O's with Coach Kelly
If you missed it, he did some talent evaluation to start.
Kelly was asked about Joe Burrow, and he had highlighted his accuracy and toughness as to what made him so great. Although, he would have liked to have seen more than just one season.
When asked about Tua Tagovailoa - Kelly said the ankle injury was not the biggest concern for him. The hip was a little more concerning but he followed up by saying if it were his decision, he would not pass on someone with Tagovailoa's talent.
Of course, the other name that seems to follow these two is Trevor Lawrence.
Kelly acknowledged the beat down that Lawrence and company delivered when he was a true freshmen. The 11th year head coach of the Irish is well aware of the future opponents abilities to move the pocket and take off as a runner.
Hopefully he can learn from past mistakes when the Irish have Clemson scheduled for November 7, 2020.
"This Is Just Different"
Kelly was asked by Cowherd "is it still special?"
Kelly then recounted a moment back in the 2013 season after the Irish had suffered a loss to Pitt on the road. The very next game was against BYU at home, obviously not a marquee match up.
As he stood in the tunnel, temperature below freezing - he could see the stands were packed and in that moment it hit him that "this is just different".
He continued to recognize that for many fans, getting to a game at Notre Dame stadium is a once in a lifetime opportunity. He was spot on about that.
Kelly joked that "I wouldn't have come out to see me that day." But Irish nation was, as it always is, at max capacity. Kelly used "unreal" and "it's a fairy-tale" to describe how powerful it is to coach at Notre Dame.
11 Wins At Notre Dame > 11 Wins at Ohio State
After Kelly dropped off the call, Cowherd explained why he respects what Coach Kelly has been able to do at Notre Dame.
The points Cowherd had were comical but true. That despite being under a religious umbrella, which is limited socially, and geographically in the middle of nowhere, plus is a private university with high academic standards. Oh, an it's COLD -- are able to win 11 games.
I was happy to have Cowherd acknowledge what we already know and that was that "they [Notre Dame] play the big boys, they don't duck anybody."
It's about time the Irish are
recognized for their ability to remain in the conversation while perennially playing one of the toughest schedules.
