Brian Kelly isn’t ruling out a return to the sideline.
The former LSU head coach said in an interview with Front Office Sports that he’s open to coaching again if the right opportunity comes along. “If something, you know, opens up that looks like a good fit for both sides, I won’t close the door on it,” Kelly said to FOS. “But on the other hand, I love the work that I’m doing with CBS.”
Kelly is currently working as both a game and in-studio college football analyst for CBS, and he said he still feels that pull toward the sport. He also said that when he visits a team’s practice during the week and talks with coaches and players, he still gets some of the same adrenaline rushes he used to feel while coaching.
His name has already surfaced in connection with several jobs. Three Power 4 openings recently popped up at Maryland, North Carolina State and Baylor, and Kelly had positive things to say about each of those programs in a separate interview on SiriusXM.
Kelly was dismissed by LSU last fall after going 34-14 in Baton Rouge. The school paid out his full $54 million buyout before hiring Lane Kiffin away from conference rival Ole Miss.
FOS also asked Kelly whether LSU’s expectation was national championship or bust. Kelly didn’t hedge.
“That’s what it is,” Kelly said in the interview. “Listen, at the end of the day, that’s why I was let go.
I didn’t live up to the standards that are set there at LSU. They brought me in to win a national championship, and there was a lot of work that needed to be done to get there - more so than many thought.
But at the end of the day, I didn’t get to that level of expectation that they had, and that is to win a national championship, and Lane will have the same expectation.”
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Luis and his lawyers have taken the dispute to court, filing suit against the NCAA, LSU and the SEC. A judge has temporarily allowed him to play for now, but the case is far from settled, with a hearing set for Nov. 13, 2026, and LSU still waiting for a final answer on whether one of its most notable additions can actually suit up. [Read more 🡒]
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At 6-2, the Tigers have positioned themselves in the playoff conversation, but the next run of games will say plenty about whether that buzz is real. Alabama, Texas and Tennessee are all still ahead, and the path to the College Football Playoff is likely to be decided in that kind of company. For LSU, the question is no longer whether it has talent or balance, but whether it can keep that edge when the schedule turns against ranked opponents. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Hate What Happened To This Alabama Showdown
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There is also a longer-term sting for LSU fans beyond the start time. This will be the final annual meeting before the SECs revised scheduling rotation breaks up the rivalry, and the two teams will not meet again in Baton Rouge until at least 2030. For a fan base that prefers the atmosphere of a night game against Alabama, the afternoon slot only adds to the frustration around a matchup that already carries extra weight. [Read more 🡒]