Another key Notre Dame assistant won't follow Brian Kelly to LSU

Brian Kelly isn’t having much luck when it comes to filling out his first LSU coaching staff.

Though the resources at LSU will likely lead to some solid hires across the board, Kelly is struggling to convince any of his former Notre Dame staffers to follow him to Baton Rouge.

DC Marcus Freeman is now the Irish’s head coach. OC Tommy Rees is staying. And now, it appears longtime Kelly assistant Mike Elston, the Irish’s defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, is also staying put:

Mike Elston has coached with Brian Kelly for almost two decades, following him from CMU to Cincinnati to South Bend, but Elston, too, like Tommy Rees & strength coach Matt Balis won't be joining him at LSU. Good foundation for new Irish HC Marcus Freeman: https://t.co/fPll5fxv3l https://t.co/mP9s1wcVA8

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 2, 2021

Again, LSU has plenty of money to make sure Kelly is able to hire elite assistants. But, it is pretty telling that none of his top assistants from Notre Dame are (thus far) following him to LSU.

We’ll see what happens as Kelly continues to work to fill out his first LSU staff.