BATON ROUGE — Brian Kelly has been fired as head coach of the LSU football program, ending his tenure after more than three seasons in Baton Rouge.
ESPN reported that Kelly was informed of the university’s decision after contentious meetings at the university Sunday, one day after the Tigers suffered a humiliating 49-25 home loss to Texas A&M Aggies. The defeat dropped the team to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in SEC play and out of the national rankings.
The loss triggered a sharp reaction from fans, including chants of “Fire Kelly” inside Tiger Stadium Saturday night.
“When Coach Kelly arrived at LSU four years ago, we had high hopes that he would lead us to multiple SEC and national championships during his time in Baton Rouge,” Director of Athletics Scott Woodward said. “Ultimately, the success at the level that LSU demands simply did not materialize, and I made the decision to make a change after last night’s game.”
Kelly is the winningest active coach in NCAA Football with 323 career victories. He amassed a 23-3 record in Tiger Stadium, including a 20-2 mark in night games in Death Valley. Kelly’s record at LSU stood at 34-14 overall.
The financial implications of the decision are significant: LSU reportedly faces a buyout obligation of just over $53 million to Kelly, making his dismissal one of the costliest in college football. The university said in a release that they will “continue to negotiate his separation”.
Associate head coach Frank Wilson will serve as interim head coach while the program begins the search for Kelly’s replacement, the university announced.
A 30-day transfer portal window for LSU players will open Monday, according to CBS Sports.
LSU’s firing of Kelly follows neighboring Southern University’s decision on Oct. 21 to terminate head coach Terrence Graves after the Jags’ 1-6 start on the season. The move leaves the city’s two universities with head coaching vacancies.
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