The firing of LSU head coach Brian Kelly continues to send shockwaves around the college football universe. Kelly was shown the door just 3.5 seasons into his 10-year contract, with associate head coach and running backs coach Frank Wilson set to lead the team for the rest of the season. Kelly was an odd fit from the start, and after failing to fully embrace the demands of the job, he leaves LSU without ever appearing in the College Football Playoff.
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The school is now searching for its new head coach, and lists of potential replacements are making the rounds on social media. LSU athletic director Scott Woodward has been in this position before, but there is a major cause for concern among LSU fans as he conducts his search.
Scott Woodward has handed out a pair of disastrous coaching contracts
Woodward has been responsible for two record-breaking college football coaching buyouts. Woodward was the AD at Texas A&M from 2016-19 and his big move in College Station was to hire Jimbo Fisher as the Aggies' head football coach. In December 2017, Woodward inked Fisher to a 10-year contract with Texas A&M.
After 5.5 seasons, Fisher was fired in November of 2023. Woodward had been long gone, coming to LSU on April 18, 2019. But his disastrous contract given to Fisher left a lasting impact, as Fisher's contract was bought out for $77.5 million. It was the largest buyout in college football history. He was owed a lump sum of $19 million and is set to receive approximately $7.2 million annually through 2031 - even if he takes another job.
When Woodward fired Ed Orgeron in 2021, he made the move to bring in Brian Kelly from Notre Dame. Kelly inked a 10-year, $95 million contract with the Tigers. He is now gone after just 3.5 seasons, and his buyout is a massive $53.3 million. The exact details of Kelly's buyout are still in the works, but the fact of the matter is that it was yet another bad signing by Woodward.
In total, the buyouts for Fisher and Kelly add up to approximately $131 million. Fisher and Kelly both had their flaws at their respective jobs, but Woodward has some explaining to do. Handing out a pair of massive contracts with lofty buyouts is not a good track record to lean on when making another massive head coaching hire. Fans hold coaches to a certain standard, but it's important to remember that AD's need to be held responsible as well. Woodward can't afford to miss on hiring Kelly's replacement.