Brian Kelly head coach of LSU Tigers, recently declared that he would shortly be retiring due to

When, 25 months ago, Brian Kelly shocked the college football world by choosing LSU over legendary Notre Dame, he gave a brief explanation of his decision.

“I arrived here with the intention of being among the finest,” Kelly stated during his press conference. “These are excellent materials. Alignment, excellence, and the expected standard come first.

Here, you’re evaluated based on your number of titles. That’s what I desire. I would rather be in the bright light. My dream is to perform on Broadway.

Kelly has succeeded in one regard. A little more than three weeks ago, he was there in Times Square, grinning with Jayden Daniels as the quarterback, who has now passed away, held aloft his third Heisman Trophy and LSU’s.

Other than taking home the Southeastern Conference West title in 2022, championships remain a goal. Kelly felt that LSU, where his three predecessors had won national titles, offered him a greater chance to do the same, which is one of the reasons he departed Notre Dame.

Are Kelly and the Tigers any closer to winning a championship after two years at LSU? It all comes down to perspective.

It’s simple but incorrect to believe that Kelly took over Ed Orgeron’s 2019 LSU football team, which went 15-0 and won a national championship as Joe Burrow tossed the ball all over the field en route to winning the Heisman Trophy. However, as the newly hired Kelly watched from the press box, LSU fell from that mountaintop to the abyss, finishing 5-5 in the pandemic-plagued 2020 season and 6-7 in 2021 after losing to Kansas State in the Texas Bowl.