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Notre Dame Football: 5 reasons Irish will win 2018 national title

By Connor Muldowney

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 01: Dexter Williams #2 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish breaks away and runs the ball in for a touchdown in the second half against the Syracuse Orange at MetLife Stadium on October 1, 2016 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Syracuse Orange 50-33. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 01: Dexter Williams #2 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish breaks away and runs the ball in for a touchdown in the second half against the Syracuse Orange at MetLife Stadium on October 1, 2016 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Syracuse Orange 50-33. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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3ORLANDO, FL – JANUARY 01: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is lifted up by Hunter Bivin #70 following the Citrus Bowl against the LSU Tigers on January 1, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Notre Dame won 21-17. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
3ORLANDO, FL – JANUARY 01: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is lifted up by Hunter Bivin #70 following the Citrus Bowl against the LSU Tigers on January 1, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Notre Dame won 21-17. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

1. Brian Kelly has changed his style

Not many coaches in college football can go from on the hot seat after a disappointing 4-8 season and having your own fan base call you out constantly for being a negative person to flipping the script in just one season and become a more positive coach.

Brian Kelly attributed some of the turnaround to a change in his style. No, he’s not going to stop yelling at his players when they do something wrong, but he’s no longer going to be constantly angry, which rubs off on his team. He became more of a players coach and football was fun again in 2017 after being miserable for the better part of a year.

Kelly also proved his devotion to winning, and winning now, by hiring Mike Elko away from Wake Forest after he turned the Demon Deacons’ defense around. Luckily, Elko brought Clark Lea with him and since he has since departed for Texas A&M, his protege has taken over as the defensive coordinator.

Disappointment is no longer part of Kelly’s dictionary and the veteran head coach has devoted more energy into correcting mistakes rather than blaming others or throwing players under the bus.

Next: Brian Kelly can lead Notre Dame to national title

Kelly is now a coach who players love playing for — and winning for — and it’s paying off and will continue to do so.

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