Could LSU become the latest college football program to part ways with their head coach in 2025?
Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, LSU is reportedly in discussions about head coach Brian Kelly’s future, conversations that include "outreach to Kelly about his potential departure." If the Tigers were to fire Kelly, the program would owe him $54 million in buyout money.
The report comes after LSU got blown out 49-25 by Texas A&M on Sunday and fell out of the AP Top 25 rankings. The Tigers got off to a promising start this year with a win over Clemson and a 4-0 start, but they have since lost three of their last four games, with all losses coming to ranked SEC opponents in Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and now Texas A&M. LSU was ranked as high as No. 3 this season, but now appears to be mulling a coaching change.
LSU has finished with at least nine wins in every season since Kelly arrived in 2022 and are 34-14 overall, but they are 19-10 in the SEC and have not met the program's lofty expectations.
If the Tigers do decide to fire Kelly midseason, they will join Penn State, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, UCLA and Florida among the programs in search of a new coach. In the era of NIL and the transfer portal, the pressure is on for coaches to win, and win fast. Kelly has won, but not enough.
LSU has four games remaining in the regular season, including Alabama in two weeks followed by matchups against Arkansas, Western Kentucky and Oklahoma. If the Tigers don't fire Kelly over their upcoming bye week, the final four games could determine his fate in Death Valley.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: LSU Discussing Brian Kelly’s Potential Departure After 5–3 Start.