Ex-LSU HC Brian Kelly Linked to Winless College Football Program Amid Hot Seat Rumors

Brian Kelly had an abrupt exit from LSU, but the former SEC coach is being linked to a winless Big Ten program. Find out the latest college football rumors as hot seat chatter is heating up.

Oct 11, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly looks on against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Things did not go as planned for Brian Kelly at LSU, but college football rumors are already swirling about the coach's next stop. Kelly is currently a CBS Sports analyst, but the coach's career change may not last long.

There is a Big Ten program in search of the team's first win heading into Week 4 who is being linked to Kelly. The Athletic's Bruce Feldman reported that Kelly is "very, very motivated" to return to coaching and revealed there is buzz that Rutgers could be a possible landing spot.

Greg Schiano is Rutgers' current head coach, but an 0-3 start has turned up the pressure. Rutgers' upcoming marquee matchups include Indiana, Michigan and Penn State.

There is a chance Rutgers' record this season could turn even uglier, putting Schiano firmly on the hot seat.

College Football Rumors: Ex-LSU Coach Brian Kelly Floated as Greg Schiano's Replacement at Rutgers

LSU head coach Brian Kelly and Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin shake hands after a college football game between Ole Miss and LSU at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. Ole Miss defeated LSU 24-19. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There is still time for Rutgers to turn around the season, but the odds are stacked against Schiano. Feldman detailed Rutgers' ties to Kelly and why the rumors could heat up if the team's losing ways continue.

"Another 60-something coaching retread who could find a Power 4 landing spot is former LSU and Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly," Feldman wrote on Sept. 18. "The 64-year-old Boston native is very, very motivated to get back on the sidelines, we’re told.

"Rutgers president Bill Tate and athletic director Keli Zinn came to New Jersey after working at LSU, where Kelly had been the Tigers coach," Feldman added.

Kelly, who won more games at Notre Dame than any other coach, did fizzle out in Baton Rouge, but the Rutgers job would be a much different dynamic, and Kelly is very comfortable in the Northeast."

Rutgers HC Greg Schiano Has More Than $22 Million Remaining on His Contract

Massachusetts Minutemen at Rutgers Scarlet Knights football in Piscataway, New Jersey on Thursday, September 3, 2026. Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Rutgers faces an expensive decision on Schiano's future as the coach still has $22.5 million remaining on his contract, per CBS Sports. Schiano's buyout tops $17 million if Rutgers opts to cut ties with the veteran coach.

The only silver lining for Rutgers is that Schiano has a mitigation clause where a new coaching contract would offset the money that the program owes regarding his buyout.

College Football Coaching Carousel: Who Will Be the First Major Coach Fired?

A Florida State fan holds up a thumbs down signal while yelling “boo” at Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell after the Seminoles lost to the SMU Mustangs on Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There could be more coveted college football jobs that soon open up, but it remains to be seen just how interested top programs would be in Kelly. Florida State, Maryland, NC State and Baylor are among the programs whose current coaches have been floated as hot seat candidates.

Kelly is a Massachusetts native and the fit at Rutgers feels cleaner than his Louisiana tenure in the SEC. A move to Rutgers puts Kelly back in the Power Four, even if the job does not have the same juice as LSU.