Brian Kelly Potential Landing Spots: Former LSU Football Coach Linked to Open Jobs

Kelly was relieved of his duties on Oct. 26 in Baton Rouge, Sports Illustrated links the ex-LSU coach to possible options.

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

The LSU Tigers and Brian Kelly parted ways on Oct. 26 amid the program's 5-3 start to the 2025 season after suffering losses to Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, and Texas A&M.

Following the Bayou Bengals' humiliating 49-25 loss to the Texas A&M Aggies in Tiger Stadium, the LSU administration made the move to relieve Kelly of his duties as the decision-maker in Baton Rouge.

“This is an extremely disappointing night,” Kelly said following the Texas A&M loss. “Any fan base would be upset. The responsibility falls on me. LSU has a proud tradition and a proud team. They prepared their tails off and expected to win. It showed in the first half and not in the second.

"My focus has to be inside-out, not outside-in. The noise is deserved, but I have to fix what’s inside our program so this doesn’t happen again.”

Now, Kelly is a free agent with multiple coveted jobs available. Sports Illustrated broke down four potential landing spots if the ex-LSU shot-caller decided to make a return to the sidelines.

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

Four Potential Landing Spots:

Penn State Nittany Lions

James Franklin is out as the decision-maker in State College with Kelly certainly appearing to be more of a culture fit for Penn State than during his time with the LSU Tigers.

"Franklin’s old job in State College would be the best available option for Kelly. It’s certainly closer to the part of the country that he knows well and has recruited heavily before," Sports Illustrated wrote.

"It’s a program that has championship aspirations—and resources—that would appeal and would be in a conference that offers up a stage that the head coach is comfortable on.

"After an alum like Matt Rhule essentially passed on the job and Curt Cignetti signed a mega-deal to do the same, someone like Kelly could rightfully be described as one of the few names that checks off the right boxes in terms of accomplishments and a history of quarterback development that could do more than win the news conference.

A Different SEC Gig [Florida, Auburn, or Arkansas]

The LSU Tigers, Florida Gators, Auburn Tigers, and Arkansas Razorbacks make up the SEC schools searching for a new head coach. Could a school pull the trigger and hire Kelly?

"It seems unlikely that any of the open SEC jobs would give Kelly another chance in the league given the high-profile demise at LSU," Sports Illustrated wrote.

"Both Florida and Auburn figure to go for someone much younger in their searches anyway and likely would want to avoid having to answer questions about why they nabbed Kelly after just witnessing two veteran coaches who knew the conference well flame out with short tenures."

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

Virginia Tech Hokies

Though former Penn State head coach James Franklin has been tied to the Virginia Tech job, there has been no formal announcement surrounding a hire - it's just smoke at this point.

Could the Hokies bring in Kelly for a change of scenery in the ACC?

"Could Virginia Tech be an option in light of its increased investment in the program? Maybe, if Kelly would deem it prudent to take a job that, at its best, may have a tough time cracking the top third in the watered-down ACC," Sports Illustrated wrote.

UCLA Bruins

The West Coast certainly would appear to be a challenging spot for Kelly, but a different atmosphere could benefit him. A long-shot, it remains one of the more intriguing options available.

"Among the currently open jobs, that could just leave UCLA as a possibility. It’s in Los Angeles and in the Big Ten, which might be appealing," Sports Illustrated wrote. "The talk among supporters sounds real as to finally going all-in on football now too.

"But it seems doubtful Kelly could handle being a second-class citizen in the market behind USC (and a slew of other professional teams) after being the star of the show for much of the past two decades at Notre Dame and LSU."

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

Kelly remains a free agent, and it is unknown whether he would have an interest in returning to the sidelines anytime soon, but the coaching carousel continues heating up with multiple premier gigs available.

More LSU News:

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ESPN Insider Labels Lane Kiffin 'Top Target' for LSU Football, Florida Gators

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