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A wild twist in the already ugly Brian Kelly-LSU divorce had a happy ending for the former Tigers coach.
Kelly will receive the remainder of the $54 million he is owed after a lawsuit filed by Kelly claimed the school attempted to avoid payment.
The coach filed a lawsuit against LSU, alleging that the school was trying to prevent his buyout after allegedly telling Kelly’s representatives that he had not officially fired 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 “damages as required” under his contract.
LSU detailed in the letter that Kelly has a legal obligation to make “good faith, reasonable and sustained efforts” to get another job in football while LSU still pays him.
In formally announcing Kelly’s departure, 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. In the end, success at the level LSU demands simply did not 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, Aug. 30, 2025. (Ken Ruinard/USA Today Network South Carolina/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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Woodward has since left his position after Louisiana Gov. 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 lawsuit 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 awarded to Jimbo Fisher, whom Woodward hired and whose contract negotiations he oversaw when Texas A&M fired Fisher.
Kelly’s ouster came shortly after Penn State fired James Franklin, as multiple big-time college opportunities have opened up this season. Franklin has since left for Virginia Tech, but Kelly has yet to find his next landing spot.
LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly watches during warmups before the game against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions at Tiger Stadium. (Stephen Lew/Image Images)
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Kelly owns a career record of 297-109-2, dating back to his days 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 had stops at Central Michigan and Cincinnati.
