Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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4 MARCH 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED C hange will forever come in two different varieties: change for the better, or change just for the sake of change. Brian Kelly's football pro- gram has been shrouded in this directional direc- tive since its miserable 4-8 season wrapped up last Thanksgiving weekend. And the first evidence into which variety of change the program will settle on became clearer last week during the first press en- gagements the Irish head coach has held since last November. Gone after last season are all three of Kelly's coordina- tors from 2016 — offense, defense and special teams — as well as the architect of his strength and condition- ing program. In all, six new on-field assistant coaches and two new members to the team's fitness staff were brought in to calm fears and change course during what could be considered the most tumultuous offseason this program has faced in decades. "The great thing about Notre Dame is you're not defined by what hap- pened in the past," Kelly said, "it's about what you do in the future." During his first of two press gath- erings at the beginning of February, Kelly continually stressed that when program goals are not met, account- ability and change "starts with the top," the coach holding a consistent message that he, and nobody else, failed last season. "Last year," Kelly explained, "cer- tainly we didn't live up to those ex- pectations, and that falls on me first and foremost. We needed to make some significant changes." To Kelly's credit, his two most suc- cessful seasons at Notre Dame — 12 wins with a trip to the national title game in 2012 and then 10 wins with a trip to the Fiesta Bowl in 2015 — both came following offseasons marked by heavy staff turnover. Perhaps Kelly understands the difference between change for the better and change just for the sake of change. And if recent events are an early indicator, the coach is mov- ing more toward the former than the latter. In addition to introducing a ros- ter of ambitious assistant coaches — none of whom were even on the pay- roll about eight weeks ago — Kelly and his new crew finished with a flurry on the recruiting trail, compil- ing a 21-member class that Rivals rates as the nation's 13th best, the same ranking as the 2016 haul that was built following a near-miss play- off chase and a New Year's Six bowl appearance. Through a turbulent offseason and a wave of de-commitments, the 2017 recruiting class shrank to only 15 players before Kelly's new staff went on the recruiting trail and secured six important additions in a collective 11th-hour push to bolster this class. "They hit the ground run- ning," Kelly said of the tire- less work his staff put in. "They didn't ask for much. They asked for a little bit of direction in terms of, 'What are the general guidelines? Let's go to work.' And they work. That was great to see." New Irish defensive coor- dinator Mike Elko called his first few weeks on the job a "whirlwind," and under- standably so. In the span of less than two months, Elko and many of his new coaching col- leagues had to: leave their previous jobs; find a place to live in South Bend; famil- iarize themselves with each other; learn the Notre Dame mission and what kind of recruits fit into it; identify, meet, sell and land those players; rinse and repeat. "It's been crazy," Elko said. "It'll con- tinue to be for another year, probably." Only time will tell if Kelly's over- haul of manpower and methods will bring the desired results or if all of this ends up only a desperate move toward change just for the sake of change. "I would tell you that every year that I've stood before you that it's a make-or-break year," Kelly explained. "… There are no bad football teams. There's just poorly led football teams, and I think I led this team poorly." Change was unavoidable and nec- essary after the setback Notre Dame suffered in 2016. But if Kelly's changes offer nothing more than change simply for the sake of change, the only remaining change will be a change at the top, precisely as the coach said it should be. ✦ Brian Kelly Makes Massive Changes, Hopefully For The Better UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at tburlage@blueandgold.com Kelly has brought in six new assistant coaches and revamped his strength and conditioning program. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND