LSU have fired head coach Brian Kelly less than four years after hiring him from Notre Dame, the university's athletic director Scott Woodward announced on Sunday. The decision comes after a disappointing 49-25 home defeat to Texas A&M, during which fans chanted for his dismissal.
Kelly, 64, leaves with a 34-14 record at LSU and is owed approximately £54m in a contract buyout, according to reports. He was in the fourth year of a 10-year deal worth around £100m. Woodward confirmed negotiations would continue over the separation terms.
The Tigers opened the season 4-0 and rose to No. 3 in the national rankings, but lost three of their last four games to fall out of the Associated Press Top 25. It is the second consecutive season LSU have faded in the latter half, failing to reach the College Football Playoff under Kelly despite winning the 2023 Heisman Trophy with quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Associate head coach Frank Wilson has been appointed interim head coach for the remainder of the 2025 season. Woodward, an LSU graduate who oversaw the 2019 national championship team, said the programme's standards had not been met.
Kelly's dismissal is the latest in a wave of high-profile college football firings, following the sacking of Penn State's James Franklin and Florida's Billy Napier in recent weeks. Louisiana governor Jeff Landry, who criticised the team's performance on social media, was reportedly involved in discussions leading to Kelly's ousting.
