Brian Kelly's move from Notre Dame to LSU sent shockwaves through the college football universe back in 2021. Less than 4 years later, Kelly's firing is equally - if not more - shocking. LSU hoped that Kelly could return to the program to the national stage with SEC titles, College Football Playoff appearances and national titles, but Kelly leaves Baton Rouge without accomplishing any of those feats.
Potential Brian Kelly replacement at LSU immediately throws cold water on the rumors
The move to fire Kelly comes with a big cost. Just 3.5 years into his 10-year contract, Kelly is owed approximately $53.3 million in buyout money. It's the second-largest buyout in college football history, which trails only Jimbo Fisher's buyout from Texas A&M which came with a price tag of $76.8 million.
LSU has two names on the top-10 biggest buyouts in college football history
But Kelly's buyout isn't the only buyout LSU has dealt with in recent years. According to CBS Sports, Ed Orgeron's buyout of $16.9 million is the 8th-largest buyout in college football history. Of the 10 largest buyouts in college football history, LSU has two of them. They are the only school with multiple names on the list. That's not exactly a list you want to find yourself on twice.
Furthermore, the final payment of Orgeron's buyout will be paid out in December. Just as that contract comes off the books, LSU now has another buyout on its hands. The exact details of Kelly's buyout are still in the works, but between the buyouts of Orgeron and Kelly, LSU could end up spending north of $70 million in dead money over 10 years on the two coaches.
Athletic director Scott Woodward is under a lot of pressure to get his next hire right. Along with the decision to hire Kelly backfiring in a major way, Woodward was responsible for the hiring of Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M in 2017. He inked Fisher to a 10-year contract, which turned into a disastrous move. Woodward moved on to LSU in 2019 before Fisher was ultimately fired in 2023, but Woodward's track record of hiring big-time college football coaches does not look good. He simply can't afford to miss on another head coaching hire.