LSU officials and boosters are holding multiple meetings to decide Brian Kelly’s future after the Tigers’ latest SEC loss and growing fan unrest.
The situation at LSU for head coach Brian Kelly is getting worse by the hour in terms of him returning next season.
Following the embarrassing 49-25 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday night, multiple sources tell OutKick that LSU administrators and athletic department officials met multiple times Sunday to discuss the future of Kelly. These conversations will be ongoing until a resolution is reached.
One of the key issues is the $53 million buyout, which is not going to hold the Tigers’ administration back from making a decision, though it is a number many are having a hard time coming to grips with.
Still, we are told this would not keep the school from firing Kelly, with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry involved in conversations on Sunday.
There was a concern that Kelly had lost the fan base heading into Saturday’s game against Texas A&M, with hopes of an upset pulling a majority back in. But, following the performance, along with the ‘Fire Brian Kelly’ chants that were heard all over national television, the move to oust Kelly picked up momentum.
“I don’t know how he comes back from this,” one LSU source told OutKick on Sunday morning.
The thought of going to Alabama in two weeks and being embarrassed again on national television with Brian Kelly at the helm is something that officials are having a hard time wrapping their head around.
Simply put, this awkward marriage is headed for an ugly divorce.
Multiple sources tell OutKick that assistant coaches are worried about their future to the point of already reaching out to friends in the business for potential landing spots next season. Of note, LSU is currently searching for a new President, which is one reason why there are so many involved in this discussion.
Also, Brian Kelly has not been around the practice facility since around lunchtime. Assistant coaches who decided to work on Sunday were told to take the rest of the day off, while players already had 48 hours off, given the bye week.
After dropping to 5-3, with their college football playoff hopes gone, the timing is now, considering the Tigers are on a bye week. Over the past two seasons, with national title aspirations, Kelly is 7-6 overall in SEC play.
If LSU decides to make the final decision to fire him without ‘cause’, the school would owe Brian Kelly 90% of his remaining salary on the contract. When hired in 2021, Kelly signed a deal worth $95 million over 10 years.
Last week, Brian Kelly told multiple LSU officials that he could get this situation turned around. But then, the second half performance against Texas A&M occurred, sending this entire ordeal into chaos.
After the second half performance against Texas A&M, boosters that fund a large part of the NIL collective had seen enough. Entering this season, Brian Kelly spoke about this being a team that could compete for a title behind a stronger defense and quarterback Garrett Nussmeir.
Now that any hope of making the playoff is gone, officials are meeting to discuss how this should play out over the next five weeks.
While no decision has been made, it’s going to be an interesting 24 hours in Baton Rouge.
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