Coach Kelly speaks on leaving Illinois
.... Leaving Illinois was the hardest thing for me to do. I have so many memories that will last a life time. The fans, the School, the Coaches, and of course the Players. Alot of people want to know why did i leave Illinois. Well to be honest i felt it was time to try something different. The athletic department and the fans and everyone wants that National Championship. And i felt, that what i was doing wasn't getting the job done. So that's why i left. So that Illinois can find the coach that will take them to the NC. I did everything that they asked of me while i was there. They wanted to me to make this program a top 10 school and boost the media and bring in bigger players. That's what i did. We won 2 rose bowls, a Orange bowl, 2 Conference Titles. I brought in players like Mike Sharpe, Jamie Ivey, Mike Drew and Cordale Scott. But now its Illinois is ready for something new and i hope they find it. To the Kids that im leaving behind I told them that these kind of things happen. but you must move forward and keep your future in mind. Whoever ends up with the Coaching Job at Illinois is getting a great group of guys.
Moving to LSU is gonna be a challenge. This is a team that has fallen way under the Radar. So my job here it to bring this former top 5 team from the swamps back into position to go for a NC. I see alot of good talents on the roster and the Coaches are ready to get to work. The one thing that i will bring from Illinois is that my players will play as a team and with class. I have no room on my squad for any individuals. And talking to the coaches it seems that they been having this problem for the past few years. But I'm ready to get to work. We have a long offseason ahead of us and we have to hit the recruiting hard. I'm Ready for War.
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