David Pollack names college football head coaching job that’s a ‘different animal’

College football head coaching jobs are about to flood the avenues of LinkedIn and Indeed as major schools around the country are firing their leaders, with many cutting ties before this 2025 regular season even comes to a close.

The latest coach to apparently head for the exit doors is LSU's Brian Kelly. He was floundering toward a disappointing fourth season in Baton Rouge before fan unrest spiked to a crescendo this weekend when the Tigers totally fell apart at home against Texas A&M in a 21-point loss which featured visiting Aggie fans chanting out their own team shanties in Death Valley.

In light of the big change coming at the top of the program, college football analyst David Pollack explained on an X post why the Tigers, even against Florida and Penn State, is a whole different level of open job to hit the market in what is already a whirlwind cycle.

"It's not a rebuild at LSU," Pollack warned of whichever man steps into the position. "The expectation at LSU, when you get hired, is just like when Brian Kelly got hired, the last three coaches won national championships. Like, Ed Orgeron did that, Les Miles did that, Nick Saban did that."

Wasn't sold on Florida being enticing enough for Lane Kiffin to leave Ole Miss.

LSU is a different animal. pic.twitter.com/RdmclMpgkW
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) October 27, 2025

The elephant on this page? That Brian Kelly did not accomplish such a feat, nor did he really get close. Clearly, he didn't have the program on an obvious championship track record this season, and as mentioned, it's already year four.

"The state of Louisiana, the pride, the high school football," Pollack went on in praise of the football culture in the Bayou State. "Now, that world has changed, obviously. But this is not a good job, this is a great job. This is a different animal."

David Pollack sums up Kelly era in 1 word

What was a bit of a shock hire at the time, Brian Kelly departed a safe and longtime post at Notre Dame, arguably one of the few college jobs in the realm of LSU, to hike down the Mississippi and set up shop with a new powerhouse program and a new southern drawl as well.

David Pollack probably speaks for many of us across the country when he points out that the pairing was wacky from the jump.

"Brian Kelly, I think what he'll be known for most is... weirdness," Pollack shared. "It was a weird fit. Now, listen, if you win, the fit works. Les Miles won and he was chewing grass and it was okay."

On the surface, Brian Kelly seems like a great hire as a guy who had made national championship games and always seemed to have Notre Dame in the important postseason discussions. But sometimes, even a great coach and program can't overcome a fit that wasn't meant to be.