Asked if this 2020 Notre Dame team is the best in his 11 seasons, Brian Kelly responded with a clear yes. Not in a way of knocking down previous successful Irish outfits, but because the foundation on which this one is built is all too reliable and solid.
‘I would say it is," Kelly said Tuesday on The Herd With Colin Cowherd. "We had some great players on the ’12 team, the ’18 team, even ’15, Will Fuller on the outside, C.J. Prosise [at running back], there were some great players.
"If you talk about physicality, think about the basic premises of putting together a really good football team, its O-line, D-line and speed on defense. Those are the three areas that separate this football team.”
Notre Dame (8-0, 7-0 ACC) is ranked No. 2 in the country, and its success on both lines has play a major factor in getting there. The Irish have on of the nation's best offensive lines that contributes to averaging 233.5 rushing yards per game (17th nationally) and 5.17 yards per carry (27th). Their defensive line keys a run defense that ranks seventh nationally in yards per carry (2.87).
Here’s a recap of the other topics Kelly addressed on his appearance on The Herd.
On His Comfort In The Job
“Early on, it’s like anything else, you come to Notre Dame and the pressure is not to lose. That’s the wrong way to look at it. You have to come here and think about the production and how your players are competing. Don’t even look at the scoreboard. I think we spent too much time thinking about winning games. When it’s all about winning, you play tight. There’s just too much anxiety.
“I think we’ve gotten to the point now where it’s about our production and how we play on Saturdays, and the rest takes care of itself. It has gone pretty good for us over the last four years.”
On Remaining Staedy During The COVID-19 Season
“There’s a book to be written about this. Every step along the way has been on to navigate through, with clear communication. Our first meeting was probably the most important. We said, ‘You guys should not be here unless you understand you’re going to have to sacrifice a lot, things that you’ve never sacrificed before. This is going to be difficult.'
"That first meeting set the tone that everyone who was there was going to have to pay attention to the details if you wanted to fight this virus and fight for a championship.”
On Recruiting Against The Best
“We’re very transparent in terms of who we are and what we’re looking for. We’re going to be clear when we talk about why you would come to Notre Dame: Here are the things you would get by coming here. That’s where we’ll have our niche. What we can point to is we have an incredibly physical football team on both sides of the ball and we’ve developed those players to move onto the NFL. There’s a great niche there.
"You’re going to come to the Midwest, expect to play in difficult conditions. This is where we can really get into some of those homes and talk about how we can develop you and get your ready for the next stage. We’ve done well with those kids who understand Notre Dame and want to move onto the NFL, especially those lineman.”
On NFL Opportunities
“I’ve always looked at the possibility, but I’m at a point now at Notre Dame where I can control the roster. I have a great understanding of what our process is here. They give me the opportunity to set this program up and make all the decisions as it relates to how this program runs on the day-to-day basis. You don’t get those opportunities in the NFL unless you’re Bill Belichick or Andy Reid.
"For me to give up all of that to go to NFL, as much as you want to be able to coach the best players in the world, this is such a great opportunity that you don’t want to give up.”
On Clemson Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei
“[We recruited him] until he gave us the temperature and wind chill in South Bend. D.J. is a wonderful kid. He was at a school [St. John Bosco in Southern California] where Notre Dame can recruit. It’s great profile school for us. We knew we weren’t in that running pretty early on when we knew weather was going to be a factor.
“What a terrific player. What a tough problem Dabo [Swinney] has with those two guys.”
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