BATON ROUGE, La (KLFY) – “Simply put, he checks every box,” LSU Athletics Director Scott Woodward says. “There was a lot of interest in this job from coaches with incredible pedigrees, but none of them held a candle to Brian Kelly.”

Woodward landed a blockbuster hire with Brian Kelly, the leader among active FBS coaches in career wins.

Wednesday was like a movie premiere, as the Tigers next head coach was formally introduced in Baton Rouge.

Kelly flew in on Monday, and the next day in the Lawton Room he was presented a win bar, a jersey, and a moment to answer questions about his decision to come to LSU.

He arrives as the most accomplished hire in program history. This kind of hire is a flex for Woodward. For the first time in over a century — 114 years — he hired away a Fighting Irish head coach.

In two of the last three seasons and potentially this season, Kelly has positioned his teams to a college football playoff spot.

So why with all the success in South Bend would he leave for LSU? Alignment.

“I came down here because I wanted to be with the best,” Kelly says. “The resources here are outstanding. It starts with the alignment, excellence, the standard of expectation. Listen, you’re looked at in terms of championships here. I want that. I want to be under the bright lights. I want to be on the Broadway stage. That’s what my passion is.”

A lot of questions were asked about the timeline of the hire. Kelly said one conversation with Woodward led to a conversation with his family and ultimately lead to a decision.

He says it was a relatively quick process.

“When you talk to Scott Woodward, he has a clear way of communicating,” Kelly says. “It was 45 minutes, and I had an understanding of where LSU was from a commitment and how this was going to look. I’d say that’s pretty quick.”