Three-and-a-half years after Brian Kelly famously explained that he left Notre Dame to become the head coach of LSU because he wanted "to be in an environment where I have the resources to win a national championship,” Kelly was officially fired by the university on Sunday night.
The resources that were supposed to allow Kelly win a national title have instead played a part in his firing less than four full seasons into his tenure in Death Valley.
LSU athletic director Scott Woodward announced the news in an official statement Sunday, saying he decided to make a change after the Tigers lost 49–25 to No. 3 Texas A&M on Saturday. LSU will “continue to negotiate his separation and will work toward a path that is better for both parties.”
The Tigers' dismissal of Kelly came after the university's administrators and executives held an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss Kelly's future with the team, including if they were to part ways with him.
Since LSU's opening-week win over Clemson to start the season, it's been an underwhelming 2025 campaign for the Tigers. Between Kelly ripping a reporter for questions about the offense against Florida, losing three of their last four games to ranked SEC opponents and getting booed twice after their blowout home loss to Texas A&M, the Tigers proved unable to matchup to top competition and meet expectations under Kelly's lead. They have instead fallen to 5–3 on the year, and dropped out of the AP Top 25 rankings.
RELATED: Brian Kelly Buyout: How Much LSU Owes Head Football Coach After Firing Him
Though LSU won at least nine games in Kelly's first three seasons at LSU, he was unable to lead them to the College Football Playoff or to a national championship, something the previous three coaches at LSU were all able to accomplish. Meanwhile, Notre Dame is coming off a national championship appearance and ranks No. 12 at this point of the season.
Kelly will leave LSU with a 34-14 record as the Tigers' head coach and a 19-10 record in SEC play. Over his coaching career at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame and LSU, he has compiled a 297–109–2 record.
LSU joins programs including Penn State, Florida, Virginia Tech, Arkansas, UCLA and Oklahoma State to fire their head coach midseason this year. While the coaching carousel is already slated for a big offseason, LSU is sure to be among the most attractive openings for top head coaching candidates across college football.
More College Football on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as LSU Fires Brian Kelly After Disappointing 5-3 Start to Season.
