LSU Tigers Fire Head Coach Brian Kelly - Is Kirby Smart a Possible Candidate?

The LSU Tigers have fired head coach Brian Kelly. Could Georgia's Kirby Smart be a potential candidate?

Week nine of the college football season was filled with numerous dramatics, as multiple teams inside the top 25 escaped disastrous upsets against inferior opponents. But while Saturday's contests were filled with storylines, the biggest headline of the weekend came this Sunday.

Earlier this Sunday, following an embarrassing loss to Texas A&M, the LSU Tigers elected to part ways with head coach Brian Kelly after just three full seasons as the team's coach. Kelly finishes his 2025 season with a 5-3 record.

The Tigers are the third SEC team this season to fire their head coach, as the Arkansas Razorbacks and Florida Gators each dismissed their head coaches earlier this season following less-than-ideal starts.

LSU's head coaching vacancy arguably makes the Tigers one of the best jobs currently available in all of football. With such a prestigious position now available, multiple quality coaches have been named as potential candidates for the job.

Is Kirby Smart a Candidate for the LSU Head Coaching Job?

Georgia coach Kirby Smart reacts after the Bulldogs' first touchdown during the first half of the SEC Championship Game against LSU in Atlanta on Dec. 3, 2022. Syndication Online Athens | Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

While numerous quality head coaches (such as Marcus Freeman, Lane Kiffin, and even Nick Saban) have all been listed as potential candidates for the Tigers' head coaching job, Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart remains one name that does not appear to have any traction as a possible candidate for the Tigers.

Smart, who has won a pair of national titles in the past five seasons, is arguably college football's best coach and has turned the Bulldogs into one of the sport's most dominant teams. The expectation that he would be able to do the same in Baton Rouge appears to be a fairly safe assumption.

The Bulldogs have faced LSU just three times during Kirby Smart's 10-year tenure, with the Tigers winning two games (2018 & 2019). His lone victory against the Tigers came in a 50-30 victory during the 2022 SEC Championship. Brian Kelly was the Tigers' head coach.

The likelihood of Smart becoming a candidate for the Tigers remains extremely slim, as moving from the national championship-contending Bulldogs to the Tigers would be seen by many as a lateral move. In addition, Georgia is Smart's alma mater, which adds a personal connection to his current position.

While Smart accepting, or even entertaining the LSU head coaching job, is extremely unlikely, the developments in this coaching search could have lasting effects on the Dawgs' coaching staff. Even if Kirby Smart is not directly affected.