Brian Kelly arrives at LSU with a lofty goal of taking down the SEC’s behemoth.
In an interview on the Varsity House Podcast last week, the new Tigers head coach told former Notre Dame safety Shaun Crawford that he’s motivated to dethrone Nick Saban and Alabama.
“I want to beat Nick Saban,” Kelly said. “Who doesn’t want to beat Nick Saban, you know what I mean? I want to play him in the regular season. I mean, that’s the standard, right? Now, he’s a conference opponent.”
Of course, it’d be odd if Kelly didn’t want to defeat a direct competitor. Nevertheless, it’s an aspiration most coaches share, but few achieve.
Kelly faced Alabama twice as the Fighting Irish’s head coach, but neither encounter went well for his side. On New Year’s Day in 2021, Notre Dame suffered a 31-14 loss to Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
But Kelly isn’t the only person in Death Valley embracing the challenge. LSU long snapper Slade Roy said the team is “gonna make sure that happens.”
LSU will host Alabama on November 5 in hopes of taking down the conference’s Goliath for the first time since 2011.