We are certainly disappointed with how our resignation has been handled.
Brian has done so much for this University in his nearly eight years here. And we deeply regret that we have to exit Notre Dame at this time.
We have a great team in place, which we are proud of. Many of our friends and allies want me to share the details of the facts as we’ve learned them.
They did not. After nearly eight years at Notre Dame, and 23 years in the college football coaching profession, I’ve decided to step down. This decision was not an easy one, but is one I think is in the best interest of our family.
I have been the play-caller and head coach of the Fighting Irish for the past five seasons. Since Day One, I’ve been passionate about re-establishing the program’s place in the national conversation for college football. The work that has been done to deliver us to this point, with all of the obstacles thrown our way, has been admirable.
We won seven games in 2018, and eight games in our final three seasons. We finished with no single season losing record since 1977.
We won 18 games in a row in the past two seasons and four consecutive bowl games in 2015-17. We are now widely regarded as the best turnaround in college football and the league’s only active winning streak of four games or more. We are 25-3 at Notre Dame Stadium since 2015.
Notre Dame was the place for me. And it was the place for my family. We are not going to discuss any other offers we might have received. There’s no doubt there will be other jobs to consider in the future. But this is home.
I have an incredible amount of respect for our president, Rev. John Jenkins, and our Board of Trustees. They hired me and I appreciate their vision and support. I hope they know that my commitment to Notre Dame and our mission remains as strong as ever.
I’ve loved every minute of it. We’ve experienced so much together. My family and I truly believe that Notre Dame is a special place. I can’t help but think of how incredibly blessed we have been.
Our incredible coaches, support staff, fans, alumni, administration, fans, booster base, donors, friends and this fantastic University community.
Having also spent 22 years as a head coach in the NCAA Division I level, I am very humbled by the challenges that I’ve faced here. We’ve laid the foundation for success at Notre Dame, but there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done. I have every confidence that this outstanding organization under Steve Purcell and his staff will continue to build upon the success that this student-athlete, staff and University community already enjoy.
I encourage each and every one of you to continue to work together to build Notre Dame into the university it should be.
Sincerely,
Brian Kelly