Brady Quinn is a college football analyst for Fox, but when he is off the clock, he is still loyal to the navy, blue and gold. The former Notre Dame football star does not take kindly to the disrespect the program receives, as there are still people who question its legitimacy.
The Fighting Irish will battle Ohio State in the national championship in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday, Jan. 20, but there are some fans who believe Notre Dame has little to celebrate at this point. The independent power's path to the College Football Playoff was not exactly a brutal one, but it did include games against Texas A&M, Louisville, Navy and Army, all of whom were ranked at the time.
A shocking home loss to Northern Illinois is tough to ignore, though. Moreover, the Irish were admittedly placed in the more favorable side of the CFP bracket, where it bested a highly scrutinized Indiana Hoosiers team, the Carson Beck-less Georgia Bulldogs and the big-win-averse Penn State Nittany Lions en route to the title game. Still, Notre Dame has accomplished a great deal during the 2024-25 campaign and has the opportunity to lay claim to the top honor in the sport with one more win.
The chatter persists, though. Quinn believes one man in particular has stoked much of the skepticism with his past remarks. And he just decided to land a verbal jab on him.
Brady Quinn pulls out the receipts amid Notre Dame football heroics
“LSU is a team that has yet to make the College Football Playoff under Brian Kelly,” the 2006 Second-Team All-American quarterback said on “Always College Football with Greg McElroy. “That's mostly where it comes from. It's not going to die. I mean the reality is Brian Kelly left {ND} and he said what he said. So, you have look back and say, was it a good move? In hindsight, it doesn't appear so.”
Quinn is referencing Kelly's now-infamous comments following his decision to leave South Bend for Baton Rouge. “I want to be in an environment where I have the resources to win a national championship,” he said in 2022, months after taking the LSU job. Brady Quinn and the Notre Dame fans did not forget that quote. They are using those words to mock the two-time AP College Football Coach of the Year.
But the thing is, Kelly's comments, while unnecessary, seemed quite accurate at the time. The Tigers were just a few years removed from assembling one of the greatest teams in college football history, and the Fighting Irish could not measure up to the best in the country. Suggesting that an SEC squad presents more opportunities to amass high-end talent is a fairly mundane statement to make. But he has not delivered as hoped.
Following back-to-back 10-win seasons, LSU was supposed to contend for a slot in the expanded Playoff bracket. Instead, the program finished with a disappointing 9-4 record. Marcus Freeman just led a smothering defense and run-heavy offense to the final showdown of the campaign. He is an NFL head coaching candidate.
Conversely, Brian Kelly is facing significant pressure to ignite a quick turnaround in 2025. Notre Dame football can turn his old comment into an even bigger punchline if they top the Buckeyes next week. Though, a blowout loss might cause people to seriously examine if the Irish can realistically win a championship in this era.
Either way, Kelly probably wishes he kept that sentence in the vault.