Brian Kelly’s long, awkward breakup with LSU football is finally official, and very expensive. Louisiana State University sent Kelly a formal termination letter Wednesday night, firing him without cause and triggering the full $54 million buyout left on his 10-year deal, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports and Pete Thamel of ESPN. The money will be paid out over six years, but it is not a simple “set it and forget it” check.
Per the termination letter, Kelly has to land another qualifying coaching job. Any future salary he earns will offset what Louisiana State University owes, a standard mitigation clause, but a key detail after weeks of legal sniping from both sides.
This wraps a messy saga that started when Louisiana State University fired Kelly on Oct. 26, a day after a 49-25 home loss to Texas A&M dropped the Tigers to 5-3 and 2-3 in SEC play. Publicly, the school called it performance-based. Privately, the language around “cause” and “formal termination” got blurry fast, and Kelly responded by filing suit and rejecting settlement offers reportedly in the $25 million to $30 million range.
On the field, the Brian Kelly era looks solid on a stat sheet. He went 34-14 over four seasons in Baton Rouge, including 19-10 in SEC play, with three straight bowl wins, an SEC Championship Game appearance in 2022, and a Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Jayden Daniels in 2023, via ESPN. It just never turned into the sustained College Football Playoff push the contract price tag demanded.
For LSU football, this is the cost of a reset as the school chases its next big-name coach, with Lane Kiffin squarely in the mix. For Brian Kelly, it is a massive parachute, with a very public obligation to prove he still wants to work.
