Brian Kelly Is Getting Roasted For Speaking With Southern Accent In Viral Speech

Brian Kelly introduced himself to LSU fans at last night's men's basketball game, and he didn't sound like the Brian Kelly that fans have heard before.

Almost immediately after the clip began to go viral online, college football fans and media started to roast Kelly for the southern accent he slapped on for the occasion.

Is new LSU head coach Brian Kelly using ... a fake southern accent? 🤨pic.twitter.com/iLy9WFBiPH
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 3, 2021

For reference, Kelly grew up in Massachusetts outside Boston, attending university and coaching at Assumption College in Worcester before making his way to the Midwest for the bulk of his college career.

In 1987, he made the move to Grand Valley State in Michigan, jumping to Central Michigan in 2004, Cincinnati in 2006 and Notre Dame in 2010. Cincinnati is the farthest South that he's coached, by a decent margin.

At least he didn't try to go with the full Ed Orgeron cajun growl here:

Brian Kelly making his welcome speech at halftime of the Ohio/LSU basketball game tonight. pic.twitter.com/Jk3bjAvrh8
— Mike Bundt (@Mike_Bundt) December 2, 2021

ESPN's Jeff Darlington did the yeoman's work of splicing together Kelly's use of the word "family" to LSU fans, and his use of it during his leaked farewell speech to Notre Dame's players just days earlier.

I decided to go super investigatory. Here’s Brian Kelly saying “family” two days ago at Notre Dame… and Brian Kelly saying “family” today at LSU. Some of my best work. pic.twitter.com/JTzuIA2s2n
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) December 3, 2021

The reaction to Kelly's new accent on social media was swift and truly hilarious:

Our favorite story heading into the weekend is Brian Kelly's fake southern accent, which he broke out at the #LSU basketball game Thursday night: pic.twitter.com/eyavnlOZSO
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) December 3, 2021

me trying to inhale every tweet making fun of Brian Kelly’s accent pic.twitter.com/gQhWVXLPKy
— Jessica Smetana (@jessica_smetana) December 3, 2021

Brian Kelly’s new, fake southern accent is the story of the decade. https://t.co/mh5KaMAxll
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) December 3, 2021

The Brian Kelly accent thing is so cringe-y I'm finding it almost physically impossible to engage with. I click play and immediately want to crawl under a table.
— Matt Hinton (@MattRHinton) December 3, 2021

Brian Kelly can't possibly keep up this horrific imitation Southern accent he just developed today for multiple years pic.twitter.com/jSYG1UHmlB
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) December 3, 2021

For the most part Twitter is an awful place to reside. HOWEVER, it was created for moments like Brian Kelly’s accent.
— Matt Barrie (@MattBarrie) December 3, 2021

Perhaps the most interesting takeaway: Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea, a former Kelly assistant who says that Kelly "adapting his accent will be part of his success." It's unclear whether he was being serious or not, based on video of that statement.

Clark Lea on Brian Kelly's southern accent. pic.twitter.com/Bb8HfwFqaw
— Matt Freeman (@mattfreemanISD) December 3, 2021

Time will tell if Brian Kelly can replicate the success he had at Notre Dame in Baton Rouge, and do what Orgeron did in 2019: Deliver LSU fans a national title. If nothing else, the last few days proved that he'll do a solid for the rest of the college football world, and provide plenty of fodder like this as he navigates a very new culture down on the Bayou.

More College Football Coverage:

LSU Country: Brian Kelly Embraces Challenge of Coach at LSU, in the SEC
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Sources: Iowa State's Matt Campbell Not in Mix at Oklahoma
Virginia Coach Bronco Mendenhall Abruptly Steps Down

For more news on the LSU Tigers, head over to LSU Country.