Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said Sunday he's elated for former quarterback DeShone Kizer, who won the Cleveland Browns' starting job months after Kelly said he wasn't ready for the NFL.
"We're thrilled for DeShone," Kelly told reporters at his Sunday press conference, a day after the Fighting Irish kicked off their season with a win over Temple, according to Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune.
"Hopefully, he's surrounded by guys who can get the Browns back to championship caliber."
Kelly's relationship with Kizer was scrutinized heavily last year. The coach was often seen screaming at his quarterback on the sidelines, and he benched Kizer multiple times.
In April, weeks before the NFL draft, Kelly suggested Kizer would have benefited from at least one more year in school.
"Well, he still should be in college," Kelly said then. "The circumstances are such that you have to make business decisions and he felt like it was in his best interest. I'm going to support him and his decision. But the reality of it is he needs more football, he needs more time to grow in so many areas. Not just on the field, but off the field."
Evidently, the Browns disagreed, selecting him in the second round and eventually annointing him their starter going into the 2017-18 season.