No. 8 LSU is adding some spice to Notre Dame’s showdown against No. 1 Alabama on Saturday. On Monday, it was confirmed that Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly had resigned.
Then Kelly left Notre Dame without the chance to go out as the head coach.
Kelly never was coming back in South Bend because the contract for the 2013 season hadn’t been signed. The Irish approached Kelly about changing course in June to “go out a different way,” according to the AP.
The Fighting Irish hired Michael Ansara, who spent the last nine seasons as assistant athletic director for student development at Notre Dame.
Kelly recently led the Irish to a 10-2 record, including a playoff appearance. But the program has endured a lot of turmoil under Kelly. Some national pundits left Notre Dame early in the season, even with Kelly on board. The program even experienced a stretch where it missed its final seven games.
Then there’s the NCAA investigation surrounding alleged academic fraud by Kelly and his assistants. ESPN did an extensive story on the issue.
When Notre Dame kicked off against Michigan State on Sept. 2, there was no mention of Kelly’s future on the message boards. But when two weeks went by and all that smoke was still not quite out of the fire, Kelly was gone.