Transcript: Zoom Press Conference With Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly addressed the media on Wednesday via Zoom. He touched on recruiting during the novel coronavirus pandemic, player meetings, his duty as a coach to use his platform wisely and more.
Brian Kelly: “I did a quick workout just be prepared for this meeting.”
On if there can be on-campus workouts when there are no in-person classes:
Kelly: “We’re going to have a meeting on May 15 to further look at what the next step is. Certainly, there is not going to be classes in the first summer session. Provost Burish has made that clear in a memo to the entire community.
“But on May 15 we look at, again, in another five weeks where there will be any changes relative to in-person, on-campus and that includes whether we get into any sports-related activities. So that decision will not be made until May 15.”
How will no or partial summer training impact a team, specifically, freshman:
Kelly: “First of all, we’re not going to put any student-athlete in a position where they can’t be properly trained to compete at the highest level, so this notion of trying to play the game at its highest level without safety being at the core of what we’re doing, it’s not going to happen.
“I’m not going to put a young man on a playing field and ask him to compete unless he has had the opportunity to be properly conditioned and trained to play this game at the highest level. Again, I think I’ve made it pretty clear in talking to our training staff and our strength and condition staff, we’re going to need a proper amount of training necessary for our guys to be prepared from a safety standpoint to play this game.
“Again, what that looks like, it’s not going to be just a few days. It’s not just going to be a week. We’re going to need a minimum of three to four weeks to prepare our football team.”
On if Kelly can draw from experiences while a coach at Grand Valley State when players could not stay on campus over the summer:
Kelly: “Yes, we’re doing that right now. It’s a very good question. I think we’re doing a lot of things that bring us back to the days where we had to really rely on our players to be self-motivated.
“Again, we’re giving them guidance. There’s no doubt, but we can’t be mandating workouts. We have to trust that we have good leadership, which we do with our players. We’re giving them the opportunity to consult with us, but the days when I was at Grand Valley, we had to call and check-in and they had any questions, they could certainly do that, and we’re seeing a lot of that right now, which is great. It’s encouraging. I know our players, particularly those that are in their last season of competition, are certainly anxious and want this to be the best season that they’ve ever had a Notre Dame. They want it to be a championship season.
“We’re getting a lot of calls, a lot inquires and we’re there for them. No doubt, this is a bit old-school from that perspective.”
On how the academic-support system changes during the pandemic and the challenges associated with that:
Kelly: “Adam Sargent, who heads up our academic support for football, in particular, has been fabulous in putting together a comprehensive plan for all of our players. We’re sharing that plan on a weekly conference call, where he is in constant communication with not only our players but all of our position coaches.
“This has become so much more of a decentralized operation, where all of the position coaches are involved with Adam and assisting with any issues that may arise, and it simply could be not having proper wifi or just making sure that they’re organized with their daily schedule, including getting into their Zoom meetings.
“Again, I think more than anything else, the academic-support has become much more decentralized. The assistant coaches are more involved than they’ve ever been before. Quite frankly, it’s been really good because it helps build stronger relationships with the players. There’s an accountability piece that we can make sure there are no restrictions from an NCAA standpoint that we can hold them accountable.
“There’s a lot of interaction. A lot of conversations. A lot of FaceTime. A lot of phone conversations. Quite frankly, we’ve got the parents involved as well and it’s been very interactive. But it started with Adam Sargent and putting together a great, comprehensive plan and using his staff, as well.”
On having football-specific virtual meetings:
Kelly: “We have. We didn’t start right away. My first charge with the staff was to set up a structure for our players academically. Well, first was health and safety, certainly and making sure we were checking in the health and safety of our football players. Second, was certainly the academic transition because we had never been down this road before, relative to online learning.
“The next thing for us was strength and conditioning and that changed mid-stream for us. We think we’ve got a great resource for our players. Coach Balis and his staff put together a portal where our guys can looking into the kinds of things that they need for strength and conditioning. They’ve been a resource.
“The next thing, Kari Oliver, our nutritionist, has been in touch with all of our players. We’re doing a daily health and wellness check with our players to see where they are from that standpoint to see who is in need of good meals. Who is lacking in those areas?
“Then, this last piece is position meeting, so Zoom meetings. We’ve had some installation as if it was a spring practice. We’ve added to our playbook. We’ve been using some of the technology that Zoom has, where we can have some handouts, so we’ve started those up and we’re making some pretty good progress.”
On atheltics director Jack Swarbrick saying he doesn’t want to play games without fans:
Kelly: “Those are above my pay-grade in a sense, I don’t mean for that to be a flippant remark, as much as I’ve really been focused much more on the day-to-day and really trying to create a structured environment for our football team.
“Jack, those are his topics, that he really has to focus on. I really haven’t given it much thought, other than the fact that we’re really delving into topics like when we can get back on campus, the recruiting element of things. Jack knows much more about the economics of things.
“All I can tell you is that it’s going to be a new normal. We’re going to have to adjust and what that looks like is probably going to be something different than what we know now. We’re all prepared and ready for it, but I don’t know all the implications of what it is that football looks like without fans and how all that works, other than I know this: we’re preparing to play. I’m working on that every single day.
“From my perspective, we’re preparing as a staff that we’re going to have to make adjustments. We know that when we do get the green light to go back, it’s not going to be ‘okay, don’t worry about this virus.’ We’re going to have to take precautions and do somethings differently. That really the best I can come up with.”
On what is a typical day like for Kelly during the pandemic:
Kelly: “It’s an interesting day. It’s a combination working through our entire staff, whether it be getting updates on camps. Chris Bacsik talked today about what he’s shipping out to our players in terms of gear, footballs and cleats.
“We had a report today from Rob Hunt on rehab and who’s able to all of their rehab and who are guys that are challenged with rehab, so that takes quite some time to go through all of that. We try to do that on a daily fashion.
“Then I’m doing a lot of FaceTime with recruits and parents, and I’m certainly on the phone a lot with my staff as well. It’s a combination of recruiting, support staff, assistant coaches and makes for a longer day because these don’t happen quickly. I’m getting better at it, but I need quite a bit of assistance, too.”
On celebrating graduation with players who will not be able to walk this spring:
Kelly: “It’s very important to use and as a matter of fact, that was one of our meetings today with FIM and we’re going to make sure that it’s a special moment for all of us that we’re going to walk. That’s an empty spot for them right now. A lot of our players that I’ve talked to are feeling that effect, that they’re not going to be able to have that special moment.
“It’s hard at Notre Dame. Those guys have worked so hard in the classroom, on the field, have given up so much and to not have that great moment of walking across that stage, it’s a pretty empty feeling.
“We’re in the process of putting together something very special for them that will bring back a lot of great memories, so they can finish it off. Although we can’t do it in person, we’re going to do it in video.”
On not having spring practice to evaluate position battles:
Kelly: “Obviously, those are areas you would have like to have vetted out in the spring, but we’re just going to have to do those evaluations as we prepare for our preseason, which we will be able to do. Again, you would just like to have those questions.
“But everybody is going to have the same situation. We’re not going to be unique. All the teams that are on our schedule are going to have a similar question, so there’s no competitive disadvantage from that standpoint. Everybody will have the same challenges to make those decisions that they wish they would have earlier.
“If that’s the worst that we have, that means we’re back playing football, we’re back evaluating and we’ll be able to manage that.”
On moving the Navy game to a location other than Ireland:
Kelly: “Certainly, we’re having to discussions about that. Clearly, we can’t wait until May 15 to have the first discussion about going overseas. Those discussions are taking place. Jack has a number of things on his plate, those are one of them. Navy is aware of it. We’re looking at all options at this time.
“We’d like to play the game in Ireland, whether we can or not, that is still obviously a topic that is being discussed, but we will have some alternatives.”
On college coaches speaking to the public on social distancing guidelines and other recommendations from healthcare officials:
Kelly: “I think it’s important. I’ve tried to do it, and I continue to think that coaches and other officials should continue to do that. We are right in the midst of this. It’s too early to start thinking that we have arrived.
“I’ve tried to use my opportunities to be a spokesman for this in any fashion that I can. I’ve tried to help out and give motivational pep talks to our great, frontline doctors and nurses during their shift changes to keep their spirits up. I tried to help the local restaurants. I do think it’s important that we can use this platform to assist in any way possible given the very difficult economic circumstances we have.”
On summer recruiting:
Kelly: “Head down and really working hard on relationship building, be it through written correspondence, be it through text, social media, FaceTime, Zoom. We’re using all of the platforms that are available to us. I think we’re making great progress.
“We’re really able to dig deep on what are distinctions are, what separates us. We’re utilizing our faculty and our support staff, we’re utilizing all the necessary means to tell our story of what our unique distinctions are at Notre Dame.
“This time in respite has given us that opportunity to really dig deep into this recruiting process, not knowing exactly what it’s going to look like in June and July.
“We’ve thrown out some dates in June. I think I’ve already thrown out that on May 15 will be a date where we start to discuss whether the opportunities will exist to do some selective things on campus.
“That is a date that is five weeks away. If there is a chance to do some things, then they’ll be investigated as such. No decision has been made that we have to cancel at this point. We’re going to look at the NCAA saying no on-campus until May 31. We will, obviously, abide by those, but we want to leave open the opportunity for June and July if the NCAA does, in fact, come back and say that it is an open opportunity.
“Our university has made it clear that there are no in-person classes until July 6. That’s clear, so that’s why this May 15 date will be an opportunity to discuss further whether there will be any exceptions to this and, again, I have no idea. I haven’t been given any assurances that that would happen. It’s just the opportunity to have that discussion as we move forward.”
“Just to reiterate, we’re really working hard on the recruiting end of things every single day, and really working toward the distinctions that we have that really make a difference for a student-athlete to choose Notre Dame, especially given those circumstances where, if there’s no football, ‘what University would you like to be at’ and we think Notre Dame is a great choice.”
On counseling players to adhere to stay-at-home orders:
Kelly: “That’s something that we’ve done every single day. We’ve keep great relationships with our players and that’s something they’ve certainly hard from us, but also from their parents. I think we’ve just been consistent in our message that we want them safe, we want them healthy. It does us no good to have any of our players [sick]. Knock on wood, we’ve been very, very lucky that none of our players have tested positive for COVID-19 and because of that, we want to make sure our players stay safe and take all of the precautions.
“So far, it’s been really good. Our guys that have had the opportunity to practice safe distancing and use a mask have done so that we’ve gotten the word back to them that, again, if they can use the right protocol and they can find a place to workout, we encourage them to do that only if the right protocol has taken place.”
On what NFL prospect from Notre Dame are doing without a pro day:
Kelly: “Part of my day is talking to GMs, assistant GMs, head coaches. Everybody talks about the six guys that we probably have getting drafted, we have six other players that started for me that are really good football players that are going to end up in NFL camps.
“It’s promoting Asmar Bilal, Jamir Jones and Tony Jones, Jr. and making sure that Chris Finke and all these guys get great opportunities as well. We have 12 players that all, I believe, can play in the NFL. It’s just really promoting them and really talking about their assets and the ability to play at the next level.
“We’re starting to do something that are kind of unique that we haven’t done in the past. We’re sharing some GPS numbers with NFL teams to show them their fitness level and that they can do some things that other NFL athletes may not be able to do. For those that use GPS and understand it, we’re showing some of those numbers that really enhance their profile. We’re trying to help and assist in any way that we can, all those players that are eligible to move into the NFL Draft.”
On handling the lack of control over the current situation:
Kelly: “I think control is really a word that gets used in a negative connotation. We like the structure because the structure is what our players really want on a day-to-day basis.
“I think, more than anything else, it’s trying to get that structure in a distance environment, where they’re not there any day. You have to really rely on their ability to be distant on their own and have the intrinsic motivation to really do things the right way.
"For us as coaches, when you don’t have the ability to control some of those factors, it can be a little bit unsettling at times. We’ve got some really good leadership amongst our group that really leans on our players in relationship to our standards and accountability.”
On how the experiences of the pandemic have improved Kelly and his staff:
Kelly: “Everybody can learn so much in this pandemic about how important it is on a day-to-day basis for us to not take things for granted. Just the game itself and football. It pales in comparison to what people are going through. It forces you to look at things from a different perspective.
“Again, where have we gotten better? We’re a lot more efficient. We can do a lot more things from a remote location than we ever could have imagined before and adapt. That’s probably the biggest thing: we’re an adaptable creature, in a sense. That we can find ways to get through the most difficult times. As long as we are disciplined and we stay on this course, we’re going to get through this and we’re going to learn from it.”
On if a larger than normal portion of the 2020 recruiting class will redshirt as freshmen:
Kelly: “It hasn’t been on the top of the list to think about. Now that you’ve asked the question, you would logically think that because you haven’t had as much training in the summer, that it would make it more difficult for them.
“We still have the four-game rule, which will allow them to get some competition and that will be extremely helpful. We will have to see. Logically thinking, I think the question has merit in the sense that they lose that June and July in a sense and they may lose the June and July, we’re not sure yet, it could impact who plays in the fall.”
On mitigating the lack of player development in the spring:
Kelly: "When you don't have the time to really develop your team [what you focus on] is relationships and we give our kids a little bit more freedom of being away from people. In a sense, they have a little bit more freedom. We'll circle the wagons more. Spend a little bit more time together and build the team a little bit more this camp than any camp that I've been in.
"Then, really work to make sure that we are properly conditioned as a group. We will probably look at heart rate a little bit more and make sure that cardiovascular is at the top of the list. We never worried about cardiovascular coming into camp. We want to make sure that we're very fit from that standpoint and we want to be careful that we don't push too fast and too quickly that we get into soft tissue injuries or stress fractures or things of that nature.
"If all of a sudden you're allowed to go out and play and everyone wants to go at it right away. We've got to be patient, very smart. We've got to do things the right way and not forget that this is a team game and really do a good job of building your team first and foremost. Then not rushing at this, where you put some guys in harm's way."
On the feedback he's heard from SWAT captains:
Kelly: “I have another meeting with them at 5 o'clock today. They've taken hold of it. We've wanted it to be a positive experience. We don't want to put them in a position where they have to big brother all the time. I mean that in a sense of they're always knocking their guys. We want it to be a positive experience as well.
“We don't want them to have to feel like they make a call to one of their SWAT Team members, it's a negative situation. We want it to be a positive program builder.
“It’s just a balance of making sure they keep the players on their team to the standard but also rewarding them and that's been the focus here in the last week or so is rewarding the guys who are doing a great job. We want to give gift cards out and make sure that they're rewarded for the things that they're doing, whether it's in their own community in helping out at food banks or whatever it is.
“Really helping our squad team members understand that this is not about disciplining someone that misses a Zoom conference or someone that doesn't turn in and do their workout and you're keeping an eye on them. This is much more about the positive things and balancing that out, so that's really important in the conversations that we have with our top guys.”
A message of hope for fans for these uncertain times:
Kelly: “First of all, to our medical community and service workers, they've been out there on the frontline. Our restaurants, our grocery stores, public service, thank you for all that you've done to keep us safe and keep us moving forward. Certainly, to the hospitals, for the care that you've given us in these difficult times.
“We will get through it. If we stay at home, we stay vigilant, if we stay patient, we're going to see ourselves on the other side and we're going to be stronger for it. We have not won yet.
“We're just getting to halftime. We've got a second half to play here. Really good job in the first couple of quarters, but we're just getting into the locker room. But let's look to have a better second half. If we have a better second half, we're going to win this game.”
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