Brian Kelly has been pretty quiet since getting fired by LSU on October 26. Kelly was fired just 3.5 years into his 10-year contract, and leaves Baton Rouge without ever appearing in the College Football Playoff. Most of the time, coaches will post a statement or a graphic in the hours following their firing. However, that hasn't been the case with Kelly.
New LSU athletic director sets the stage for game-changing coaching hire
Kelly's buyout is reportedly approximately $53.5 million, which is the second-highest buyout in college football history. However, the final number that Kelly walks away with could be much lower than that. WAFB Channel 9 in Baton Rouge has released an email from Kelly to LSU confirming his termination, and in it, Kelly directly addresses the situation surrounding his buyout.
Brian Kelly "open" to reaching a settlement with LSU amid firing
Kelly states that he is "open" to reaching a settlement with the school. Per the email, Kelly states: “As we discussed in our meeting, I’m open to your desire to reach a settlement of what’s owed to me under the contract, although of course it would have to make sense financially.”
WAFB EXCLUSIVE | Brian Kelly thanks LSU, says he’s open to “settlement”: https://t.co/nxSBqrxEf4 pic.twitter.com/fVR0OicHDt
— WAFB (@WAFB) November 5, 2025
Kelly also thanked Scott Woodward and other LSU administrators for the oppotunity to lead the Tiger football program. "Despite your decision to let me go today, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to lead this program over the last four years and wish you all the best going forward," wrote Kelly.
At this point, it seems likely that Kelly's attorneys are working with LSU officials on Kelly's settlement. The email features plenty of "lawyer talk," and in addition to the buyout situation, also addresses logistical efforts in returning Kelly's LSU materials.
It will be interesting to see what Kelly's final buyout ends up being. Along with figuring out Kelly's buyout, the LSU athletic department has a lot of work to do. The school just hired a new university president in Wade Rousse, and he is reportedly set to promote interim athletic director Verge Ausberry to the full-time role. The search committee responsible for finding Kelly's replacement has a vital job at hand, as LSU can't afford to miss on the next hire. Plus, the contractual structure of the new coach will loom large, as large buyouts like Kelly's only add more problems to the situation.