Brian Kelly came LSU At the end of 2021 with a clear and realistic objective: win a national championship.
His three predecessors as Tigers coach – Ed Orgeron, Les Miles and Nick Saban – all led LSU to titles by the end of their fourth full seasons. Kelly had more impressive credentials than anyone else – yes, even Saban – when he arrived in Baton Rouge as the winningest coach. Notre Dame History, two-time Division II national champion at Grand Valley State and two-time AP National Coach of the Year.
Kelly brought his bold and flamboyant style to Bayou and achieved immediate success, winning the SEC West Division title in his first season, and winning 10 games in each of his first two years. But he failed to make the CFP in his first three seasons, and when their much-anticipated fourth-place finish fell short after three losses in four games, LSU quickly pulled the plug.
Defeat 49-25 at home Texas A&M In which the stands at Tiger Stadium were empty by the fourth quarter, followed by a controversial Sunday of meetings, Led to oust kellyHe briefly addressed the team Sunday night before leaving the football operations building and Tiger Stadium for the last time.
How did it go wrong so quickly for Kelly at LSU? He generated reactions from the moment he arrived, starting with his “here’s my family-you-lee” speech at a Tigers basketball game. But no matter what obstacles come his way, Kelly can still hold on to his track record of winning big… until he can’t anymore.
ESPN reporters Mark Schlabach, Max Olson and Adam Rittenberg examined the reasons Kelly ultimately did not commit to LSU.
CEO’s approach is not effective in practical SEC
Those who worked with Kelly at both Notre Dame and LSU described him as a true CEO-style head coach. He hired a strong staff, particularly at Notre Dame with defensive coordinators Mike Elko, Clark Lee and Marcus Freeman – all in that order – and let them do their thing. Kelly has always received a lot of attention for his reaction in bad moments, but some people who worked with him described him as overly sensitive.
According to sources with knowledge of the program, as Kelly entered his third decade as head coach, he became less active in day-to-day operations. Kelly operated the program somewhat remotely, handling the media and public-facing elements. A former staff member said, “That’s his MO.”
This approach ultimately cost them in a conference like the SEC, where head coaches not only oversee operations but also recruit frantically, routinely interface with everyone who touches their teams and work almost year-round until the early hours of the morning. There was no getting around a conference with so many championship-minded programs and Kelly was left behind.
The CEO’s approach could work for many programs, some of which will have the opportunity to hire a coach with Kelly’s credentials. But LSU ultimately needed a different style. –Rittenberg
Couldn’t crack the coordinator code
Kelly was never able to find the right mix of coordinators, especially after offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock left after the 2023 season to take the same position at Notre Dame. Denbrock helped quarterback jayden daniels Win the Heisman Trophy in 2023, when the Tigers led the SEC with 45.5 points per game.
The only problem was that LSU’s defense, which was led by former kansas city chiefs Linebackers coach Matt House has struggled to contain opponents. The Tigers went 10–3 in 2023, losing by 42 points or more in each of their three losses. They are next to last in the SEC in scoring defense (28 points) and run defense (161 yards).
Kelly fired House and three other defensive assistants after the 2023 season, and LSU fired the defensive coordinator Blake Baker From missouriHe was given a three-year contract, making him the highest paid assistant in FBS at $2.5 million per season.
With LSU’s defense in good hands, Kelly promoted quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan to co-offensive coordinator and playcaller. This proved to be a fatal mistake. The Tigers were last in the SEC in rushing (116.4 yards) in 2024, and were even worse this season with an average of 106.3 rushing yards and 25.5 points. The school announced that Sloan was relieved of coaching duties on Monday. — Schlabach
never felt fit
2:59
Stephen A calls out LSU AD after Brian Kelly firing
Stephen A. Smith reflects on Brian Kelly’s LSU tenure and calls for athletic director Scott Woodward to pursue a massive buyout for Kelly and Jimbo Fisher.
An old Cajun saying about family is, “Tout le monde est cajun ic,” which means, “Everyone here has kin.” Unless you don’t – and try very hard to prove that you belong.
Kelly was a brilliant football coach at Grand Valley State, cincinnati And Notre Dame. He went to LSU because he wanted to coach at a place that had the recruiting base, financial resources and football-mad fans that would help him win national titles.
From his disastrous introductory speech at the LSU basketball game, in which he pronounced “family” with a fake Southern drawl that was thicker than the Rocks, Kelly never seemed to fit in.
And he was not blind to it. This off-season, Kelly worked with a Washington, DC-based image consultant to improve his public persona.
The problem wasn’t that Kelly was from Massachusetts and had never coached at a school outside the Midwest. Saban was from West Virginia and had never worked at a school or NFL team in the Deep South before taking over LSU. But Saban was authentic and true to his roots and didn’t try to hide what he was – a demanding perfectionist who ultimately made the Tigers champions again after a 45-year title drought.
On Saturday, it seemed Kelly had fallen out of favor with Governor Jeff Landry, who in the wake of the Texas A&M loss LSU trolled on social media About increasing football ticket prices for 2026. According to a source close to the situation, Landry was right in the middle of the discussions that led to the school’s separation from Kelly.
In the end, Kelly couldn’t get enough wins and tried too hard to prove to LSU fans that he was one of them. — Schlabach/Rittenberg
Portal Hall raised expectations
LSU plans to build the best transfer portal class in college football this offseason, considering some of the players on the roster are a game away from title contention. After losing the incoming freshman quarterback bryce underwood To michiganWhen the portal opened the coaching staff was determined to go out and win big in December.
A source within the program told ESPN in February that he was confident LSU had assembled the No. 1 portal class in the country, and he saw little room for debate. “I don’t think it’s particularly close,” the source said. LSU sought seven-figure gifts from top donors to support this portal push. The Tigers went out and signed whoever they wanted. And then he started 5-3.
Moral of the story: If you are putting in all the effort and spending at a higher level in this new era, you will yield better results.
LSU hasn’t said anything about the much-publicized portal class that yielded 11 new starters. Mansoor Delaney The cornerback is enjoying an All-America caliber season, AJ Hallsey Has been one of the SEC’s top defenses and the Tigers’ efforts to overhaul their secondary have paid off. defensive tackle Bernard Gooden Even when healthy, he has been a difference-maker.
However, across eight games, most of these additions have been more solid than spectacular. barrian brown And nick anderson Portal had two of the top wide receivers considered but did not add value to LSU’s passing attack. Brown has a team-high 36 catches, but his 60 receiving yards against Texas A&M were his most against a Power 4 opponent this season. Anderson has 10 catches for 74 yards. The Tigers’ offensive line has struggled despite adding veteran starters. braylin moore And josh thompson,
The bigger issue here is similar to the one that played out here penn state: If you’re a head coach and asking supporters to break the bank for a particular season and under-deliver the end product, they’ll immediately pounce on you.
LSU wanted to compete with the best with an $18 million football roster after falling behind many SEC peers in the NIL collective era. When you have a potential first-round pick at quarterback leading a blue-chip high school and a roster full of portal talent, the reasonable expectation is College Football Playoff or bust. Kelly understood this and adopted it by 2025, but he could not live up to it. –Olson
race for lane kiffin
Florida The firing of Billy Napier or Penn State’s firing of James Franklin had nothing to do with LSU’s decision to cut ties with Kelly. It was a partnership that wasn’t working, and influential decision makers at LSU had seen enough.
Unless the Tigers are trying to jump to the front of the line ole miss Coach Lane Kiffin, who has a 51–19 record in his sixth season with the Rebels.
But for now, Kiffin is in great shape personally. His children and ex-wife are living in Oxford, Mississippi, and his brother, Chris, is his defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for the defense.
That said, can Kiffin win a national title at Ole Miss? They have relied heavily on the transfer portal in building their roster over the past few seasons, and this puts a lot of pressure on the coaching staff to constantly change the roster.
Taking a job like LSU would put Kiffin on a level playing field with the SEC powers alabama, Georgia And texasHe can build his roster through Louisiana’s fertile high school recruiting grounds and supplement it with transfers to fill needs.
For those reasons LSU is probably a better fit than Florida, and the Tigers aren’t having to battle in-state rivals for the best prospects. — Schlabach
