Another powerhouse college football program whose high expectations have gone awry has decided to fire its coach — and dole out potentially north of $50 million to make him go away.
LSU has fired Brian Kelly midway through his fourth season after the Tigers, who harbored preseason ambitions of a deep College Football Playoff run, fell to 5-3, according to the university.
The firing has turned what looked like perhaps an outlier event — firing a head coach despite the pain of a massive buyout — into a trend. Only two weeks after Penn State decided that reaching last season’s playoff semifinal, let alone the deterrent of a nearly $50 million buyout, wasn’t enough to keep it from firing coach James Franklin, LSU could be on the hook for around $54 million to fire Kelly.
If paid in full, it would be the second-largest buyout in college football history. The ultimate payout, however, could be much lower. Just as in the terms of Franklin’s buyout at Penn State, what LSU owes Kelly can be reduced by the amount of any “football-related employment” he earns in the future, according to The Advocate newspaper.
LSU hinted at hoping to trim its forthcoming bill in announcing the firing. LSU athletic director Scott Woodward said in a statement that the school would “continue to negotiate his separation and will work toward a path that is better for both parties.”
Woodward said he made the decision after the school’s blowout loss Saturday against Texas A&M. The Aggies improved to 8-0 and showed exactly why wealthy schools unhappy with their progress but facing the pain of expensive buyouts may be willing to eat costs that in the past might have been prohibitive. Two years after it fired Jimbo Fisher and triggered a record $77 million buyout, absorbing criticism for the record-breaking cost — the full total to wipe the slate clean was higher because of buyouts for outgoing assistants, as well — the Aggies are among the best teams in college football under coach Mike Elko.
The loss to Texas A&M even sparked commentary from Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who posted late Saturday on X that he thought LSU and its Board of Supervisors “needs to rethink their actions to raise ticket prices for next year after tonight’s showing!”
The job at LSU comes with unique pressure and, with it, an unusually brief grace period, because all three of Kelly’s predecessors had won national championships. His shock hiring in 2022, when LSU’s 10-year, $95 million contract pried away him from Notre Dame after 12 seasons and a .739 winning percentage, was intended to keep LSU in the national title race. With the advent of the 12-team playoff last year, the margin of error allowed to still make the playoff has never been greater.
Yet Kelly, whose career .725 winning percentage is third best among all active coaches, finishes with a 34-14 record in Baton Rouge, including a pair of 10-win seasons. LSU missed the first 12-team playoff last season and appeared no longer on course after Saturday’s loss to Texas A&M. After having starting 4-0 and risen as high as third in the Associated Press Poll, Kelly’s team had lost three of its last four games, all three losses coming against ranked teams.
“When Coach Kelly arrived at LSU four years ago, we had high hopes that he would lead us to multiple SEC and national championships during his time in Baton Rouge,” Woodward said. “Ultimately, the success at the level that LSU demands simply did not materialize.”
