Ever since the departure of Lou Holtz in 1996, Notre Dame football has never fully lived up to the hype and expectations set before them as one of the most prestigious collegiate football programs of all-time. Bob Davie, George O'Leary (he didn't even coach a game because of inaccuracies on his resume), Tyrone Willingham, Kent Baer, and Charlie Weis proved not to be the answers to lead the Fighting Irish to its first national title since the 1988 season. A glimmer of hope was brought in during 2010, with the hiring of Brian Kelly. Kelly previously coached at the University of Cincinnati for four seasons, leading the Bearcats to two appearances in BCS bowl games. Kelly seemed to be the answer Notre Dame was searching for.

After two consecutive 8-5 seasons (somewhat below Notre Dame expectations), the Fighting Irish had an undefeated regular season record of 12-0 before heading into the BCS National Championship Game during the 2012 season. The team would eventually be slaughtered in that game at the hands of the Alabama Crimson Tide, 42-14. For the 2013-2015 seasons, Brian Kelly went 27-12 during that span, and it was certainly enough wins to keep his job. But now, the Fighting Irish have started the 2016 campaign at 1-3 with a road loss to Texas and two consecutive home losses to Michigan State and Duke. After the Duke loss, a couple of quotes from one press conference should change the manner in which Notre Dame should reassess the leadership of its football program.

"Every position, all 22 of them, will be evaluated. Each and every position. There is no position that is untouchable on this football team."

In short, Brian Kelly just threw his entire roster under the bus. And despite a 381 yard passing and 60 yard rushing by quarterback DeShone Kizer, Kelly deemed his performance "below standard," referring to his two turnovers. Kelly even hinted at the possibility at having Brandon Wimbush, Kizer's backup, start. Way to build confidence in your veteran quarterback and the rest of the team!

"Coaching had nothing to do with the outcome today."

Yeah...it did! Coaches are responsible for the development of their players and to make a shift in game plans when things are not going correctly. It is clearly obvious that the 1-3 start is because of coaching, especially on the defensive side of the game. To make matters worse, after Kelly defended his coaching staff during Saturday's postgame press conference, he fired defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder the next day. While the decision is certainly justified, the decision still sheds negative light on Kelly based on Saturday's comments.

That one press conference alone exposes much about Brian Kelly's demeanor as a head football coach. He is an egoist at best when it comes to being a head coach. He will rarely take any fault publically whenever his team struggles and his claim that coaching has nothing to do with the poor start is a perfect example. Also, there have been absolutely no signs of encouragement towards his players, even in the low points of this season. This is not the kind of leadership Notre Dame football should have or deserve. That is why Brian Kelly should no longer be the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame and his dismissal should come sooner rather than later.