The LSU Tigers are making a significant change as coach Brian Kelly has been fired on Sunday after four seasons with the program. This continues the college football coaching carousel as a number of Power 4 coaches have been let go this season, but this potentially is the biggest name thus far.
Let’s take a deeper dive into what happened in Baton Rouge and what the departure of Brian Kelly from the LSU Tigers means for the program going forward.
Brian Kelly Fired as LSU Tigers Coach
Kelly finishes his tenure winning just under 71% of his games, going 34-14 overall. However, he has struggled this season after losing three of his last four games, with all of them also being in the Southeastern Conference. The buyout for Brian Kelly is estimated to be $54 million and there is going to be a massive change at the top of the football program. That money is set to offset if he takes another job.
Members of the LSU coaching staff were bracing for changes on Sunday, as they have been one of the most disappointing offensive teams in college football. There were reports that discussions on a bigger scale were happening at the university, which ultimately happened.
Kelly signed a significant 10-year contract to become the LSU coach in Nov. 2021 as he abruptly left the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the position. In his first year with the Tigers, he made the SEC Championship Game, but did not win the conference title.
It will be interesting to see what is next for Brian Kelly and if he wants to ride out the remainder of his contract or if the 64-year-old coach wants to get back on the sidelines. He is a two-time AP Coach of the Year with a 200-76 record in his 22 years as a head coach. However, with the Tigers being just 5-3 and disappointing this season, the change has officially been made.
The school has not announced the interim coaching position or if any other staffers have also been let go at the time of this article being published.
