LSU Fires football Coach Brian Kelly After Disappointing Season
BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana State university has fired head football coach Brian kelly, the school announced Wednesday, ending his tenure after less than three full seasons. The move comes amid a disappointing 2023 campaign marked by unexpected losses and a failure to meet preseason expectations.
Kelly was hired in December 2021 to a 10-year, $100 million contract, tasked with restoring LSU to national prominence following the departure of Ed Orgeron. He arrived with a career record of 103-35, including a 34-6 record at Cincinnati and a 113-40 record at Notre Dame, and was seen as a coach capable of winning a national championship given LSU’s resources. Though, his time in baton Rouge was plagued by inconsistency and a team that underperformed despite significant investment in player acquisition through the transfer portal and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals.
LSU finished the 2023 regular season with a 8-4 record, including losses to Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, and Texas A&M. The Tigers’ victories came against teams with losing records: Clemson,Florida,and South Carolina. The program aggressively pursued talent through the transfer portal and increased funding for player compensation, even convincing quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to return for his senior season instead of entering the NFL draft, all in an effort to contend for a College Football Playoff berth.
The firing marks a significant shift for the LSU football program and raises questions about the future direction of the team. The university will now begin a search for a new head coach to lead the Tigers. The landscape of college football has changed dramatically as Kelly’s arrival with the advent of the transfer portal and NIL, presenting new challenges for coaches and programs across the country.