After losing at home to Texas A&M for the first time since 1994, LSU has decided to make a coaching change.
According to Matt Moscona, LSU has elected to fire head coach Brian Kelly on Sunday evening ahead of the team’s second bye week. Associate head coach Frank Wilson will serve as the interim head coach. Wilson was a head coach twice at the college level, first at UTSA and then at McNeese.
Moscona went on to mention that a meeting was conducted throughout Sunday afternoon. The meeting featured Governor Jeff Landry, members of the board of supervisors, and key boosters. Athletic Director Scott Woodward was not involved in the meeting.
In his time in Baton Rouge, Kelly posted a 34-14 record, including going 19-10 against SEC opponents. Kelly was also just 5-11 against Top-25 opponents and in these last two seasons posted a 7-6 record against ranked foes after going 6-2 in 2022 and 2023, his first two years with the Tigers.
Kelly was the winningest coach at Notre Dame before making the big move to the Bayou at the end of the 2021 season. That offseason, he signed a 10-year, $95 million contract and will be owed 90 percent of the remaining amount. Kelly is expected to be owed $54 million, and LSU can decide to pay him monthly until the deal expiration date in 2031. The buyout number could be reduced by the amount of a new salary if Kelly chooses to coach a different program or begin to work in media.
The Tigers are the latest college program to have a vacant head coaching position. LSU joins the likes of Penn State, Florida, and Arkansas, who all fired their coach within the last month.
LSU is off this week and will return to the gridiron on Saturday, November 8th, when the Tigers travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. You can be the action on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.