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Wild Bill

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Honestly I’m surprised lsu would even go there,… it’s not like they’d lock him up for a decade plus, he’s 60,… seems like an odd choice. I’d want someone younger if I were lsu

It's a little odd but over the last five years BK has basically won every game where he had the more talented team and LSU has a whole bunch of talent. Could be a decent combo if BK can adapt to the culture. For $15M a year he can probably make some changes.
 

Whiskeyjack

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Gotta wonder if an unexpected early departure would change ND's succession plan, assuming one is in place. Freeman's got a year of P5 experience as a coordinator and Fickell is hanging out at Cincy waiting for ND or OSU to call.

I'm not opposed to Freeman nor am I sold on Fickell. Just think it's something ND would have to consider if kelly leaves this year.

That might be one of the few situations I could see us getting multiple years from both Fickell and Freeman. Would be fabulous for ND if Freeman is willing to wait a bit longer for a HC gig in order to work with his best friend again.
 

BoredIrish

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Sources have told Sports Illustrated that LSU has been "trying to make it happen" with Brian Kelly but offered no confirmation that Kelly has reciprocated that interest, per @ByPatForde https://t.co/ECKrAROE2e
 

Huntr

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I'm fine wirh Freeman as HC. The list of coordinators who became successful and title winning HC's is longer than ppl think.


Jimbo at FSU, fucking Tressel was in his 2nd season from an FCS school (where he was HC - can you imagine ND hiring an FCS HC?) when they won the title in 03.

Look what Smart is doing at UGA if you want to see what a good asst coach/amazing recruiter can do when they get behind the wheel.
 

SouthSideChiDomer

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Freeman is such a risk. Has all of one year as a coordinator at the power 5 level.

[TWEET]<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"Scared money don't make money." - <a href="https://twitter.com/coach_bnapier?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coach_bnapier</a> <a href="https://t.co/X3rC9D0kFx">pic.twitter.com/X3rC9D0kFx</a></p>— Scott Prather (@ScottMimic) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottMimic/status/1438721689525882888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>[/TWEET]
 

NorthDakota

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Honestly I’m surprised lsu would even go there,… it’s not like they’d lock him up for a decade plus, he’s 60,… seems like an odd choice. I’d want someone younger if I were lsu

Saban was in his mid-late 50's when he took the reins at Alabama.

but I really don't want BK to go. He's been my guy since the day they hired the pudgeball.
 

Dizzyphil

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Screw it - if BK goes to LSU, hire Deion Sanders as the new HC so he can dress in Irish colors doing the AFLAC commercials........:cbanana:
 

IrishRazor82

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Jimbo at FSU, fucking Tressel was in his 2nd season from an FCS school (where he was HC - can you imagine ND hiring an FCS HC?) when they won the title in 03.

Look what Smart is doing at UGA if you want to see what a good asst coach/amazing recruiter can do when they get behind the wheel.

Dabo.. Lincoln Riley..
 

KPENN

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After what Mel Tucker got paid you’d be crazy to think BK wouldn’t at least be contacted by someone.
 

NDdomer2

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Finebaum saying Kelly is staying for more money.

No doubt Kelly is getting a raise but at this point in his career you gotta think fighting for program upgrades and staff salaries is the larger priority in his negotiations.
 

irishff1014

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TIFWIW. A poster on 247 saying he is friends with a guy that’s Rees’s best friend and he is saying Kelly is leaving and the staff new Saturday night.
 

Ndaccountant

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IMO, what separates a good coach from an elite coach is the ability to recruit and communicate. When the HC can do both, it creates a recipe for elite staying power.

What made BK successful the last few years was getting back to the communication front and being more involved with the players. It has worked and worked really well. The recruiting was/is improving in many spots too.

When I look at Freeman, I see a guy that combines both of those traits. Everyone gushed about Lea's ability to relate to the players, but his recruiting was not close to elite. Freeman is going to be a star and if BK does the dirty and decides to jump, I would not have a problem with him taking over. He has all the ingredients needed to be elite and he strikes me as someone that will end up in one spot for a really long time.
 

General Colon Bowel

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On the other hand, if it's already been decided that Freeman is the future at ND, and LSU is offering to double his salary for the next three years, it might make sense to shorten the time table and pass the torch now. I'd really hate to see Kelly retire elsewhere, but it's hard to argue with the kind of money LSU is offering.

Is LSU actually an easier place to win a Natty in the next three years than ND? I know they've won a few in the past two decades, but BK is a program builder and culture guy who is not going to immediately have them moving from 6-6 to playoff bound in the SEC with Bama, UGA, A&M, OU, UT, Florida to contend with. Not to mention some frisky Mississippi teams and a rising Kentucky. If BK is still planning on retiring in the next three years and wants to win a championship I'm inclined to say ND is in a better position. If he wants to coach for longer then yeah go to LSU, especially if they double your salary. But at this point I'm inclined to thing winning the whole thing would be more important to Kelly than money. And if legacy is important to him then winning one at ND will make him one of the all time greats.
 

Whiskeyjack

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Is LSU actually an easier place to win a Natty in the next three years than ND?

It's hard to argue otherwise, no? LSU has won three titles since ND's last, and two of those coaches (Les Miles in 2007 and Ed Orgeron in 2019) are demonstrably inferior to Kelly. There's just so much talent in Louisiana that it's hard not to catch lightning in a bottle once a decade even for a mediocre coach. A true program builder could turn them into a 'Bama-like juggernaut.

And if legacy is important to him then winning one at ND will make him one of the all time greats.

I agree. Kelly and LSU are not a good fit a whole lot of reasons, and I expect him to retire here and solidify his legacy as the guy who rebuilt ND. But if he wants to both maximize cash-flow pre-retirement and prove he's capable of winning it all, LSU's the best place to do it.
 

Dale

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TIFWIW. A poster on 247 saying he is friends with a guy that’s Rees’s best friend and he is saying Kelly is leaving and the staff new Saturday night.

If that was true, it would have already happened.
 
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