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A wild twist in Brian Kelly’s already ugly divorce from LSU had a happy ending for the former Tigers coach.
Kelly will receive the rest of the $54 million he is owed after a lawsuit filed by Kelly claimed the school tried to avoid paying.
The coach filed a lawsuit against LSU, claiming the school was trying to avoid his buyout after allegedly telling Kelly’s representatives that it had not officially terminated him and was instead seeking to fire him for cause.
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Head coach Brian Kelly of the LSU Tigers gestures during a game against the USC Trojans at Allegiant Stadium on September 1, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Gus Stark/LSU/Getty Images)
Kelly, however, received a letter from the school on Wednesday stating that he had been officially terminated without cause and was owed “liquidated damages as required” under his contract.
LSU explained in the letter that Kelly has a legal obligation to make “good faith, reasonable and sustained efforts” to obtain another job in football while he is still paid by LSU.
When Kelly’s departure was officially announced, then-athletic director Scott Woodward said, “We had high hopes that he would lead us to multiple SEC and national championships during his time in Baton Rouge.” Ultimately, success at the level LSU demanded just didn’t materialize, and I made the decision to make a change after last night’s game.
Louisiana State University head coach Brian Kelly during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina, Saturday, August 30, 2025. (Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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Woodward has since left his post after Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said he would not allow Woodward to hire the next coach, saying he would prefer President Donald Trump make the decision.
However, the suit claimed that LSU told Kelly’s representatives that Kelly was never officially fired because Woodward did not even have “the authority to fire Coach Kelly and/or make settlement offers to him.”
In his comments about Woodward, Landry also blamed the former athletic director for the $77 million paid to Jimbo Fisher, whom Woodward hired and whose contract negotiations he oversaw when Fisher was fired by Texas A&M.
Kelly’s ouster came shortly after Penn State fired James Franklin, as several big-time college opportunities opened up this season. Franklin has since gone to Virginia Tech, but Kelly has yet to find his next landing spot.
LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly looks on during warmups before the game against the Southeast Louisiana Lions at Tiger Stadium. (Stephen Lew/Imagn Images)
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Kelly owns a lifetime record of 297-109-2, dating back to his time coaching Division II school Grand Valley State from 1991 to 2003. He spent 12 seasons at Notre Dame before going to Baton Rouge and also made stops at Central Michigan and Cincinnati.
