Brian Kelly reveals Nick Saban gave him advice on LSU job
By Kevin Duffey
Published:
The college football coaching landscape will look dramatically different in 2022.
One of the seismic changes happened when Brian Kelly left Notre Dame for the vacant LSU job. When it seemed that LSU had missed on its top targets, athletic director Scott Woodward went out and made a huge hire in Kelly.
Recently, CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd said that Kelly spoke to Nick Saban before and after he was hired at LSU. Dodd asked Kelly about his relationship with Saban and what the Alabama coach told him about the LSU job.
“Nick and I have always had a relationship,” Kelly said. “We’re busy. So, it’s not like we’re gonna sit down and say, ‘Hey, what do you think?’ In my conversations, he can talk about his experiences and what the strengths are of a program like LSU. I was able to obviously put enough together that this was a great program and a great opportunity. Look, he’s been here. He knows. When you get advice and counsel from a guy like Nick Saban, he’s a good one to take it from.”
Kelly’s right — Saban would be a good one to receive advice from. Saban coached at LSU 2000-04 before heading to the NFL for the Miami Dolphins job. Saban also won a national title in Baton Rouge.
While the two are friends off the field, it’s a whole different ball game now that they are bitter SEC West rivals on the field. Saban has already beaten Kelly twice in two games.
November, come quick!
You can watch the full interview below:
A graduate of the University of Florida and founder of Saturday Down South, Kevin is a college football enthusiast.