LSU formally fires ex-coach Brian Kelly, agrees to pay him full buyout after legal battle

Brian Kelly's legal battle with LSU is over.

LSU sent Kelly a formal termination letter Wednesday and said that it fired him “without cause,” according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.

LSU has said that it will pay Kelly’s $54 million buyout over the next six years, so long as Kelly makes a “good-faith, reasonable and sustained” effort to obtain another job. If he gets a new job, at least part of that buyout would then be offset.

The Tigers first split with Kelly on Oct. 26 following their loss to Texas A&M at home, which dropped them to 5-3 on the season and all but knocked them out of the College Football Playoff hunt. Kelly went 34-14 in his four seasons with the Tigers.

LSU initially fought Kelly’s buyout, which will be the second-largest in college football history if it’s paid out in full. The school told Kelly it had not “formally terminated” him, and that it was trying to fire him “for cause.”

Former LSU athletic director Scott Woodward said at the time that Kelly’s termination was performance-related, and that the “high hopes that [Kelly] would lead us to multiple SEC and national championships” never materialized. Woodward was fired days later, and he drew criticism from Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who insisted that the AD wouldn’t be involved in the hiring of Kelly’s replacement.

Kelly filed a lawsuit against LSU earlier this month in an effort to get his full buyout, and he said earlier this week that LSU’s legal battle with him has made it “nearly impossible” to land another coaching job. LSU is also actively working to land Kelly’s replacement this week. The school is preparing a massive multi-million-dollar offer for current Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, and is seeking a commitment from him in the coming days.

Though he struggled to find success at LSU, Kelly is undoubtedly still a top coach in college football. Kelly spent 12 seasons at Notre Dame before he landed at LSU before the 2022 campaign. There are several top jobs open in the Power Four conferences, and more will likely open in the coming days when the regular season ends this weekend.

Now that his tumultuous exit from LSU is behind him, Kelly should be able to move forward with his career.