In another coaching carousel shocker, Kelly is out. LSU is a top-tier job, but the next coach has to manage the conference and its politics.
For the third consecutive Sunday in October, a major college football coaching job has opened, and LSU is the biggest of them all.
Brian Kelly is out midway through his fourth year at LSU, and a night after his third loss of the 2025 season. LSU was blown out 49-24 by Texas A&M, which scored 35 unanswered points to win in Tiger Stadium for the first time since 1994. An LSU season that began with national championship aspirations and a road win against Clemson — the Tigers’ first season-opening win under Kelly — sidetracked very quickly with consecutive losses to Vanderbilt and Texas A&M.
Kelly, who stunningly left Notre Dame for a chance to win his first FBS national championship, never even made the College Football Playoff at LSU. He won a division title in his first season in 2022 but never finished higher than 13th in the final CFP standings. Kelly is the first LSU coach to not win a national championship there since Gerry DiNardo, whose tenure ended after the 1999 season. Kelly finishes his Tigers tenure at 34-14, having lost multiple games in SEC play in all four seasons on the Bayou.
LSU’s decision throws another surprising twist into an incredibly active coaching cycle. Although Penn State and Florida are both A-list jobs, LSU is in a tier of its own. In a state rich with talent, LSU is the only Power 4 program. The fact that three very different coaches — Nick Saban, Les Miles and Ed Orgeron — won national championships there speaks to the job’s potential and overall excellence.
Is it a perfect job? No. The politics and occasional dysfunction around LSU are baked in. Athletic director Scott Woodward’s future is also in question after the Kelly hire failed so miserably and led to a $54 million buyout. But the potential at LSU is massive, and every candidate knows what the program can be when everything is aligned. Buckle up. Things are about to get even wilder. — Adam Rittenberg
Candidates | Transfers | Recruits
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin: LSU’s firing of Kelly could be really bad news for Florida, which has made little secret of its desire to bring Kiffin to Gainesville. Perhaps Florida can still get its man, but Kiffin should be near or at the very top of LSU’s wish list. He wouldn’t have to deal with in-state competitors there and would lead a program with few if any limitations with resources, facilities and fan base. Kiffin, 50, is 51-19 at Ole Miss and has the Rebels positioned for their first CFP appearance this season, which could end up hurting his chances to take another job. But he doesn’t need to be sold on LSU’s history and the recruiting advantages. He is 112-53 as an FBS coach.
Tulane coach Jon Sumrall: He’s arguably the hottest name outside of the Power 4 and will have opportunities to lead higher-profile programs soon, especially in the SEC. Sumrall, 43, is already in the state at Tulane, which is 15-6 under his watch and positioned for a possible American conference title and its first CFP appearance this season. He also was an assistant at Tulane from 2012 to 2014 and knows the recruiting scene in and around New Orleans as well as anyone. The jump to the Power 4 and a program like LSU can’t be ignored, but those who know Sumrall expect him to transition well. He played in the SEC at Kentucky and coached linebackers at both Ole Miss and Kentucky before landing his first head coaching job at Troy, which he led to consecutive Sun Belt titles. Sumrall is 38-10 as an FBS coach.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman: Would LSU successfully swipe Notre Dame’s coach twice in a row? It’s hard to say.
