Sports

Comedian Shane Gillis Lampoons Brian Kelly Ahead Of Notre Dame National Title Appearance

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Comedian Shane Gillis pictured beside LSU football coach Brian Kelly.

© William McLelland-Imagn Images / © Scott Kinser-Imagn Images


The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are set to face off in the national championship against Ohio State on Monday night. This will be the program’s first title appearance since 2012.

Comedian Shane Gillis is in Atlanta to take in the festivities. He appeared on the Pat McAfee Show earlier today to give his insights into the game.

Gillis has a football past. He signed onto play for Army as an offensive lineman. He suited up briefly for Elon after leaving the Military Academy.

With that being said, his college football fandom resides in South Bend. Gillis is an avid Notre Dame fan, something that’s been on full display this season.

Earlier this month, he called into a Fighting Irish podcast to talk about the team’s CFP win over Penn State. He recently appeared in a Notre Dame themed Under Armour ad in which he prays for a title win.

The school will get that opportunity against Ohio State on Monday night. Prior to kickoff, Pat McAfee asked Gills what he thought of the team’s current leadership. The comedian was happy to see a change from the past regime.

“Marcus [Freeman] is the man,” Gillis said. “He’s the nicest, coolest guy… [Brian Kelly] went to LSU and he’s going to ruin another program.”

Kelly famously bailed on Notre Dame in the middle of the night to accept the head coaching role with the Tigers. While with the Irish, he posted a 113-40 overall record with one national championship appearance.

His reasoning for leaving South Bend? He didn’t think the program could compete for titles as it valued academics over athletic excellence.

“I want to be in an environment where I have the resources to win a national championship.”

-Brian Kelly on leaving Notre Dame

He reportedly made requests to the university in attempts to strengthen his program. Those included facility upgrades and personal amenities for players. Those requests were denied, so he left.

Since arriving in Baton Rouge, Brian Kelly is 29-11 across three seasons. Marcus Freeman has had no issue dealing with the drawbacks Kelly cited amid his departure.

The Fighting Irish are now just 60 minutes away from a national championship. Shane Gillis, alongside many others, is happy with the way things played out in South Bend.