Notre Dame was going from Brian Kelly, a proven head coach with an extensive résumé and the school’s all-time leader in wins, to Marcus Freeman, who had been a defensive coordinator for only a few years and had spent only one season in South Bend, Ind.

To go from losing to Northern Illinois at the beginning of the season to playing ... I just cannot stop laughing at how hilarious this is for Brian Kelly. As my guy Cory Woodroof writes, he has to be considered the biggest loser of this game.

Brian Kelly left the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for what he thought were greener pastures with the LSU Tigers. What he didn’t know was that was the best thing that could have happened to the Fighting Irish as fans celebrate a return to national relevance under Marcus Freeman.

Brian Kelly became Notre Dame's all-time leader in wins and helped change the program before leaving for LSU in a shocking 2021 decision that angered Fighting Irish fans. More than three years later and despite the criticism from the Blue and Gold fan base,

Freeman — a surprise hire in December 2021 since he had never been a head coach when Notre Dame promoted the then-defensive coordinator after Kelly bolted for LSU — hasn’t had the same problems.

Doesn't matter where -- around Notre Dame Stadium, past the Grotto or Touchdown Jesus.  The point is, the former Irish athletic director who hired Marcus Freeman should be ripping off his shirt, pounding his chest and whooping at the top of his lungs.

EVERYTHING'S COMING UP IRISH for Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. Still, that shamrock quake leaves no one backing off from lighting Touchdown Riley

The only loss was to Northern Illinois in the second week of the ... Freeman succeeded Brian Kelly, the all-time winningest coach in Notre Dame history. Kelly’s departure left some Irish fans ...

Former Notre Dame football star Brady Quinn gives a dig at LSU head coach Brian Kelly amid the Irish's momentous run

Freeman — the man who has led Notre Dame (14-1) to the most wins in its 138-year history — was the perfect fit to coach under the watchful eye of Touchdown Jesus.

Freeman's first shot at a Division I coordinator job came at Cincinnati, where then-head coach Luke Fickell hired Freeman to be his defensive coordinator. Freeman was only 30 years old, but it didn't take long for him to find his footing with a group that had won just four games the year prior.