Brian Kelly On Change: ‘I Knew What I Needed To Do’
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Despite what he said publicly, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly was plenty involved in last week’s defensive practices.
He revealed that fact during his Sunday media teleconference. It was a strategic move, he said, to get a “pulse” of the defense and discover what the concerns were that led to Notre Dame’s poor start to the season.
Those findings led to his decision to fire third-year defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder.
“I knew what I needed to do,” Kelly said.
In a move that contradicts what he’s told the media for weeks, Kelly fired his high-priced defensive coordinator and personal friend.
Though he did not criticize VanGorder after Saturday’s humiliating 38-35 loss to Duke, Kelly said he evaluated the situation that night after the game. The Irish had just surrendered 498 yards to the Blue Devils, a team predicted to finish fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coastal division and with losses this season to Wake Forest and Northwestern.
Overall, the Irish went 19-11 in the 30 contests in which VanGorder led the defense.
“At the end of the day I made a change because we certainly weren’t playing the kind of football that is necessary at this level,” Kelly said. “There’s so many factors that go into that. Brian is as fine a defensive coach as there is out there, he knows the game, he loves Notre Dame, he wanted to succeed as much as anybody here, but it wasn’t working.
“There’s not enough time to go into all the details of it, but the fact remains at the end of the day I have to find a way to get our defense to play at a higher level. This certainly warrants it. Making the change in my estimation was the best way to get everybody back to the point where we can look forward to putting this defense back in a position to succeed.”
Kelly said there will be tweaks to the defensive scheme under new coordinator Greg Hudson, who has been promoted from his analyst role. It’s important, though, that Notre Dame does not “pull the rug” from underneath its players, the seventh-year head coach said.
Kelly said there was “no consideration” in a coordinator change following last season. He pointed to Notre Dame’s 10-3 finish in 2015 and narrowly missing the College Football Playoff.
“I’m reacting to a place where I did not expect us to be,” Kelly said.
A common critique during VanGorder’s tenure was his scheme, and the fact that it might be too complicated for the college game. Kelly, as well as his players, have largely refuted those claims the past three years.
Kelly stood by that fact Sunday.
“A lot has been made that there’s too much,” Kelly said of the VanGorder scheme. “There’s not too much defense. There was probably too much analysis, and we’re going to streamline it and keep it fundamentally sound. We’re going to allow our kids to play fast and free and have some fun at it.”
Kelly will now be in a supervisory role on the defense as Notre Dame looks to regain its footing. There will be personnel changes and players in different roles, he said, in hopes of getting the Irish to play with passion and energy.
When Kelly informed the team of the change, he made one thing clear.
“I’m certain that there’s some feelings in the room, but they clearly understand that when you’re 1-3 at Notre Dame, changes are going to be made.”
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