Brian Kelly's belief in the Horns might not actually be what Texas wants to hear

About 15 years ago, Brian Kelly was considered one of the top head coaches in all of college football, leading the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to a plethora of winning seasons and quite a few bowl game victories.

Then, after arguing that he could never lead the Irish back to the National Championship game without the full support of the athletic department, Kelly left his post in 2021 to take over the LSU Tigers the following season.

He lost that gig in 2025 after failing to even take the Tigers to the College Football Playoff, much less the natty, despite LSU not being that removed from its National Championship run in 2019-20.

Now, Kelly hasn't exactly stepped away from the sport, joining various college football talk shows to discuss teams and share his opinions about the upcoming season. Most recently, that included breaking down the SEC and announcing that he truly believes the Texas Longhorns are the top team in the conference.

Brian Kelly lays the pressure on thick for Texas Longhorns in the SEC

"I think coach [Steve] Sarkisian has a really good football team from top to bottom," Kelly said on CBS Sports. "I think Texas is the team to beat."

Of course, since joining the conference, Texas has fallen short of winning the SEC title, whether that be in the regular season or the championship game. Yet, many think this year could be "the year" that Sarkisian and the Horns finally take the next step.

Kelly's praise of the Longhorns echoes a lot of what the Longhorns were hearing leading into last season, which went... far from according to plan.

Since falling well short of expectations last year, the Horns have repeatedly ducked attention from the media, opting to focus on their on-field work and preparation. Now, as more and more people start to hype up Texas, Kelly included, it might be the exact opposite of what the Horns wanted to hear.

Also read: Will Muschamp's on-field focus couldn't be farther from the Horns' NIL earnings

Not to mention the fact that based solely on his resume, it's readily apparent that Kelly hasn't found consistent accuracy or success when it comes to his beliefs about college football.

However, the former LSU head coach made sure to note the biggest difference in this summer's hype around Texas compared to last year's: the focus isn't entirely on quarterback Arch Manning.

"Last preseason, all of the talk was about Arch Manning. [Now,] it's less about Arch, and I think that's a good thing," Kelly said. "If Arch Manning continues his growth and plays to the level that he knows he's capable of, I think in year two he's a lot more comfortable."

Read more: David Pollack's unique QB ranking has Arch Manning right where he should want to be

Ultimately, the opinions of other coaches, players, or members of the media don't matter. What the Longhorns are able to produce on the field and in games is what will decide Texas's fate this season. However, for now, the Horns are going to have to continue to shut out the noise about their program and continue to focus on the actual work they are putting in.

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