Saturday’s game against Texas A&M was the last stand for the LSU football team. A must-win for the Tigers and their College Football Playoff chances. It turned out LSU’s second-half performance was the final straw as coach Brian Kelly has coached his last game at LSU.
LSU has fired Kelly in his fourth season after a brutal 49-25 loss to Texas A&M.
Kelly’s buyout is 54-million dollars, but negotiations will reportedly continue on what the exact dollar figure will be.
The news of Kelly’s firing came down on Sunday night after a tense day involving Kelly, his assistant coaches, donors and athletics director Scott Woodward.
Even Governor Jeff Landry was reportedly involved in the talks as LSU is without a permanent president.
Landry expressed his disappointment with Saturday night’s performance by posting on “X” that the LSU Board of Supervisors should reconsider raising prices on football tickets and parking passes. The board approved both of those items on Friday.
The 54-million dollars is a steep price tag, but LSU did not have a choice, as most donors are not interested in investing any more money into a football team coached by Kelly.
The Tigers are 5-3, 2-3 in the SEC. All three losses were against Top 10 teams, but the way they were dominated in the second half by the Aggies was humiliating.
LSU is out of contention for the college football playoffs before the month of November, despite Kelly boldly proclaiming last November that the Tigers would be playing for a national championship this season.
Kelly also said that this team was ready to compete for a championship in his fourth season at the helm.
Kelly just turned 64-years-old. He was 34-14 in four plus seasons at LSU. Kelly won the SEC West in 2022. Had a Heisman Trophy quarterback in 2023 to go along with the worst defense in LSU history.
2024 the Tigers failed to win ten games and this season, the Tigers have lost three of their last four.
Longtime LSU assistant coach and New Orleans native Frank Wilson will serve as interim head coach. Wilson has previous head coaching experience at UTSA and McNeese State.
He was one of Kelly’s first hires when BK got the job in December of 2021.
LSU had the following to say in an official announcement:
BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU Athletics has made the decision to separate with football head coach Brian Kelly effective immediately, Director of Athletics Scott Woodward announced Sunday.
Terms of the separation are still being negotiated.
“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, and I made the decision to make a change after last night’s game. I am grateful for the ongoing consultations and support of the LSU Board of Supervisors and Interim President Matt Lee in this decision. We wish Coach Kelly and his family the very best in their future endeavors. We will continue to negotiate his separation and will work toward a path that is better for both parties.”
The Tigers fell to 5-3 this season and 2-3 in SEC play following a home loss to No. 3 Texas A&M on Saturday night.
LSU was 34-14 across four seasons with Kelly at the helm, including a 19-10 mark against SEC competition, and won three straight bowl games. The Tigers made their lone SEC Championship game appearance under Kelly in his first season in 2022. In 2023, they were led by quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick.
Kelly is the winningest active coach in NCAA Football with 323 career victories. He amassed a 23-3 record in Tiger Stadium, including a 20-2 mark in night games in Death Valley.
Associate head coach/running backs coach Frank Wilson will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2025 season.
“As a proud alum, and as the current caretaker of our athletics programs, I will not compromise in our pursuit of excellence and we will not lower our standards,” Woodward said. “I continue to believe that LSU is the best football program in America and that our head coach position is among the best considering our investment, our ability to attract and retain talent, our unbelievable fans, and our institutional and statewide commitment to – and love for – LSU Football. We will immediately begin a national search for a new head football coach, and I am confident in our ability to bring to Baton Rouge an outstanding leader, teacher and coach, who fits our culture and community and who embraces the excellence that we demand.
“While there will certainly be speculation and reports on candidates and the process, together we will celebrate and welcome a new coach at the appropriate time. I urge all in the LSU community to continue to support our student-athletes and coaches as they compete the rest of the season.”