REPORT: LSU Fires Head Coach Brian Kelly

Another domino in the SEC coaching cycle has fallen, and it's one that many in the preseason thought wouldn't fall. According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the LSU Tigers have fired head coach Brian Kelly after the Tigers' 49-25 loss to Texas A&M at home on Saturday night.

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Kelly accumulated a 35-14 record as the Tigers' head coach, but struggled in big-time games, which LSU played in several during Kelly's tenure. In his first season in Baton Rouge, the Tigers went 9-3, with a win over the Alabama Crimson Tide clinching the Tigers' final SEC West title, but LSU fell in the SEC Championship to the Georgia Bulldogs.

Kelly was hired by LSU ahead of the 2022 season after an impressive stint during his tenure at Notre Dame, where he led the team to the BCS National Championship game in 2012. He was the AP Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2018 with the Fighting Irish, and ACC Coach of the Year in 2020 (Notre Dame joined the ACC during the COVID-19 season).

The Tigers will owe Brian Kelly $50 million in buyout money, the highest of any program with a current head coach opening. Penn State held that title with James Franklin's $49 million buyout.

LSU is a tier-one program in modern college football, putting a plethora of talent into the NFL and significant money for NIL. The Tigers' head coach opening is now the top job available in college football.

LSU held national championship hopes as it entered the 2025 season, and the noise got even louder after the Tigers' 17-10 win over the Clemson Tigers on the road in week one. Through the first four weeks of the season, LSU was 4-0 and got as high as No. 3 in the AP Poll before losing three of its last four games. LSU is the third SEC head coaching job to become available this season, with Arkansas firing Sam Pittman in September and Florida firing Billy Napier last week.

LSU's interim head coach will be associate head coach and running backs coach Frank Wilson.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.