Well the fours of Brian Kelly and LSU came to a close. The LSU Tigers have relieved the coach of his duty after a 5-3 start and an embarrassing second half blowout to Texas A&M in which they led at halftime. Kelly was 33rd head coach at LSU, replacing Ed Orgeron. Kelly was 34 and 14 with the Tigers. Kelly cited looser academic restrictions and a more football rich recruiting region in the south.
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His contract more than tripled his previous salary, from his 2021 salary of $2.67 million to $9 million in 2022. His buyout was the second largest in college football history in 54 million. Not a bad pay day to not come back to work. The previous 3 coaches of Nick Sabon, Les Miles, and Ed Orgeron all won a national championship. Let’s see who could be the next to try:Â Â
Lane Kiffin, Head Coach, Ole Miss
Kiffin’s name has come up with every big name coaching opening No. 1 target in Florida’s search to replace Billy Napier. But LSU has more recent success than Flordia. He’s 51-19 with the Rebels since 2020.
Eli Drinkwitz, Head Coach, Missouri
Drinkwitz could be ready to take a step up with the LSU job. He’s 44-26 at Missouri. But he’s 27-7 since the start of 23. He could thrive at recruiting, the NIL Money. and transfer portal era.
Jon Sumrall, Head Coach, Tulane
LSU could turn into a rising star. He turned Tulane around and is 15-6 since taking over. He led the team appearance in the American Conference title game last season. He also went 23-4 at Troy from 2022-23. With a sense of how the region works, he could recruit the state and win at a high level.
Dabo Swinney, Head Coach, ClemsonÂ
Clemson is no longer a perennial title contender. Swinney has been at odds with Clemson the last few years for his refusal to adapt to the NIL and transfer portal. It pay be time for a fresh start and reset as LSU will push him outside his comfort zone.
