Earlier this week, CBS Sports added Brian Kelly to its analyst team, a notable shift for a coach who has spent four decades on a sideline. Kelly was LSU’s head coach from 2022-25 and was fired in October of 2025 after LSU suffered an embarrassing home loss to Texas A&M.
Kelly has said he wants to coach again, and even after the way things ended at LSU, his track record still gives him real appeal. He has won at every level of the sport, which is exactly why his name could come back into the mix once the coaching carousel settles down. By next fall, he could be ready for another shot.
If that happens, a few jobs could fit. Rutgers is one of them.
Greg Schiano is in the sixth year of his second run leading the Scarlet Knights, and while he has done a solid job overall, the program slipped to 5-7 last season after bowl trips in 2023 and 2024. Schiano is also turning 60, and the president and athletic director who hired him are no longer in place.
That matters. William Tate, now Rutgers’ president, is the same president who hired Kelly at LSU, and reports said the two had a strong working relationship.
Rutgers has no obvious reason to make a change right now, and Schiano is not entering the year on the hot seat, but a 4-8 season could push the administration toward a move.
Boston College also makes sense. Bill O’Brien’s first year there went badly, with BC finishing 2-10 last season, and there is not much to suggest a quick turnaround is coming.
Kelly is a Massachusetts native, and although most of his coaching career has been spent in the Midwest, he got his start at Assumption College, where he also played. If Boston College decides to move on from O’Brien, the school may want a younger, more innovative direction.
But money is a real factor there, and Kelly could be attractive because he might come at a lower price while still bringing a proven record of building programs.
Northern Illinois is the long shot, but it is on the board. The Huskies will have an interim head coach in 2026 after Thomas Hammock left for the Seattle Seahawks in February, so the job is already open.
NIU sits a step below the other schools on this list, and it would be unusual to see a coach with Kelly’s profile land in the Group of Six. Still, if Kelly’s options are limited, the Huskies could at least make the call.
He knows the region, and he has built up lower-level programs before. If NIU wants a proven name, Kelly fits that description.
In Other News...
Why The Delane Name Suddenly Matters Again At LSU
A familiar name is back in the LSU defensive backfield, and this time it belongs to a safety with a little college experience already under his belt. Faheem Delane arrived from Ohio State after appearing in 13 games as a backup last season, giving LSU another option in a room that already has established pieces and clear roles entering the year.
The family tie only adds to the intrigue, since Faheem is the younger brother of LSU All-American cornerback Mansoor Delane. For now, the expectation is that he opens the upcoming season behind Ty Benefield, but LSU has a way of turning depth-chart footnotes into meaningful contributors, especially in the secondary. [Read more 🡒]
LSU May Have Just Caught A Huge Break With RJ Luis
A federal ruling out of Colorado could end up giving LSU a notable boost for next season, with Judge Charlotte Sweeney approving an injunction that allows college athletes from the Class of 2022 affected by the NCAAs 5-for-5 eligibility ruling to keep playing while the broader lawsuit moves forward. The decision is especially relevant for forward RJ Luis, who had been in line to lose eligibility under the challenge before this latest court action changed the picture.
For LSU, the timing matters. Luis is now expected to regain eligibility for the Tigers next season, though the NCAA still has to implement the ruling before it fully takes effect. For a program always watching roster flexibility closely, it is the kind of development that can quietly reshape offseason plans while the larger legal fight over eligibility continues. [Read more 🡒]
Lamar Brown Is Giving LSU Fans A New Reason To Watch Camp
LSUs summer roster overhaul has been built around the transfer portal, with Lane Kiffin landing what has been billed as the nations highest-ranked portal class in an effort to push the Tigers from a seven-win team into the SEC title race. Princewill Umammielen, Jordan Ross and Malik Blocton headline that group, but as fall camp opens, there is another name drawing attention from people around the program: 2026 defensive tackle Lamar Brown.
Brown arrives with the kind of athleticism and upside that can make a camp worth following even before the pads come fully on, and the expectation is that he will compete for playing time sooner rather than later. Whether he becomes an immediate factor is still to be determined, but his presence adds another layer to a defense that is already trying to absorb a wave of new talent while sorting out how quickly all of it can translate on the field. [Read more 🡒]