We’ve some to the end of our evaluation journey. It’s a path that’s been characterized some highs and lows, from both data and memory perspectives. Fortunately, we get to close everything out on a high note**.
Brian Kelly’s third outing as head coach of the Irish football program was the 2012 season. That season marked Kelly’s 25% point in his twelve season career in South Bend. Kelly teams finished both the 2010 and 2011 seasons 8-5, as well as bowl game appearances. The 2010 Sun Bowl ended with a 33-17 Notre Dame victory over Miami (FL). In 2011, the Irish lost their Champs Bowl matchup, 14-18, against Florida State.
The 2012 team ended up going 12-1, with an undefeated regular season.
The biggest win margins came against the Navy season opener (+40) and Miami (FL) & Wake Forest (both +38). One of the most defining features of 2012 was how many games came down to the wire. Overall, the Irish won their regular season games by an average differential of +16 points. When you remove the three blowouts, that average drops to +6.7.
At the end of that amazing, though not always pretty, regular season run Notre Dame earned a National Championship berth. And if you go back to the last sentence in this article’s opening paragraph, that’s also when the asterisks start coming into play
Asterisk 1: The 2012 season was the second to last year in the BCS period and the events that led to the Irish being selected for the Championship game were a prime case study for all the good and bad features of the “computer” era. It was also my senior season and my therapy bill for coming to terms with it all are still adding up so I won’t go into too much detail here.
The 2012 BCS championship game ended in an indisputable rout, 14-14, at the hands of the Crimson Tide. While that soured things in the short term, the worst came later.
Returns for a sixth-year with the Tigers in 2024 … Signed with the Tigers in December of 2018 as one of the nation’s top prep running backs … One of only 2 players remaining on the roster who were members of the 2019 CFP National Championship team (Other is Josh Williams) … Has appeared in 37 games with 5 starts during his career … Rushed for 1,062 yards and 14 TDs … Caught 36 passes for 318 yards and 2 TDs … Best season came in 2022, rushing for 375 yards and 6 TDs and catching 13 passes for 129 yards and 2 scores … An every-down back who can catch the ball out of the backfield and protect the quarterback on passing downs … Explosive player with breakaway speed … Won’t get caught from behind … Has the toughness to run between the tackles as well … Excels when hitting the edge … Graduated in May of 2024 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.
FIFTH-YEAR SENIOR SEASON (2023)
Played in 7 games with no starts … Key part of LSU’s running back rotation … Rushed for 121 yards and a TD on 23 carries … Suffered season-ending injury against Florida in mid-November … Rushed for season-high 42 yards and a TD in win over Auburn … Also caught a career-long 49-yard pass vs. Auburn … Had 23 yards, including a 14-yard run, at Ole Miss … Rushed for 22 yards on 2 carries in win over Florida.
SENIOR SEASON (2022)
Returned to action in 2022 after missing all of 2021 … Appeared in 11 games with 2 starts (UAB and Georgia) … Rushed for 375 yards and 6 TDs on 76 carries … Caught 13 passes for 129 yards and 2 scores … Set a career-high with 3 rushing TDs at Texas A&M … Finished that contest with 9 carries for 55 yards … Also caught 3 passes for 11 yards against the Aggies … Scored what proved to be game-winning TD on a 20-yard run with 3:35 left in the contest in 21-17 victory over Auburn … Hauled in a 39-yard pass from Jayden Daniels just before halftime that put the ball at the Auburn 1-yard line … LSU scored a play later to pull to within 17-14 at halftime … Had first career receiving TD on a 7-yard reception from Daniels in first quarter of win over Florida … Against Alabama scored on a 30-yard TD reception from Daniels for the first points of the game, putting the Tigers up 7-0 at the 9:46 mark in second quarter … Capped season with 6 carries for 47 yards and a TD in Citrus Bowl win over Purdue.
JUNIOR SEASON (2021)
Did not play in 2021.
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2020)
Appeared in nine games, starting three times … Second on team in rushing with 378 yards and three TDs … Led all running backs in receiving with 14 receptions for 73 yards … Had one 100-yard game, that coming against Vanderbilt with 103 yards and a TD on 12 carries … Rushed a career-best 18 times for 88 yards and a score in win over South Carolina … Other touchdown came on a 54-yard run against Alabama … Finished game against Crimson Tide with 79 yards on seven carries.
FRESHMAN SEASON (2019)
Played in 10 games with no starts … Rushed for 188 yards and four TDs on 39 carries … Caught six passes for 60 yards … Longest run of season came on 39-yard TD run against Arkansas … Rushed three times for seven yards, including a 6-yard TD, against Oklahoma … Rushed for 42 yards on two carries against Arkansas … Rushed for 51 yards on nine carries against Vanderbilt … Scored TDs on runs of 6 yards vs. Vanderbilt and 4 yards vs. Northwestern State … Carried eight times for 45 yards vs. Utah State.
HIGH SCHOOL
One of the nation’s most sought-after high school running backs in the Class of 2019 … The highest-rated running back to sign with LSU since Leonard Fournette in 2014 … Considered one of the top-five running backs in the nation… Rated a five-star prospect from Scout.com and 247sports… Considered a top-three player in the state of Louisiana and the No. 2 running back nationally by 247sports… A finalist for the Touchdown Club of Atlanta’s National Back of the Year… Competed in the 2019 Under Armour All-America Game… Team posted a 13-2 mark his senior year … As a junior, piled up 1,029 all-purpose yards, scored nine touchdowns and averaged more than seven yards per carry in six games before suffering a season ending injury… As a senior, rushed for 1,693 yards and 26 TDs in leading his team to the 5A state semifinals.