In hindsight, what did Brian Kelly ever bring to the table?

Yes, given his record at Cincinnati and Notre Dame he was considered one of the "whales" during our last coaching search even if he couldn't win the big game at ND but in historical context, what did BK actually bring to the table? He didn't strike me as much of a recruiter, relied heavily on coordinators (never really had much of a sideline presence), wasn't well liked and wasn't much of a motivator. It's an honest question given the passage of time.