Paul Finebaum names major college football head coach who 'lost in the locker room'

The college football coaching carousel kept spinning after Week 9, after LSU announced the firing of head coach Brian Kelly. It's another high-profile head coaching job that's available, following the decisions at Florida and Penn State.

Things have continued to trend in the wrong direction in Baton Rouge, with the Tigers losing three of their past four games, including a second-half collapse against Texas A&M on Saturday.

The Tigers led 18-14 entering halftime, but allowed 35 unanswered points in the second half until a late touchdown with less than a minute remaining. It was a complete defensive failure as LSU allowed over 400 total yards, while the offense sputtered once again. The Tigers ended the game with only 60 rushing yards on 2.2 yards per carry, while Texas A&M's defense registered 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

During an appearance on ESPN's Get Up, Paul Finebaum was asked about LSU's decision to fire Kelly. He made a strong statement, saying Kelly not only lost on the field but also lost the support of the people in power and even the players in the locker room.

Former LSU head coach Brian Kelly | SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Absolutely," Finebaum said when asked if LSU's decision to fire Kelly was the right one. "Not only did they lose on the field, he lost in the locker room. I don't think he had anyone believing in him anymore. And he certainly didn't have anyone in the stands believing in him, because they were all gone by the end of the game.

"But the most important person that didn't believe in him, interestingly, wasn't his boss, but it was the governor of the state of Louisiana, who managed to get in the middle of this because they have an interim president. They had a meeting yesterday, he decided, the group of them decided, Kelly had to go."

Kelly had one of the most expensive buyouts in college football after signing a 10-year, $95 million deal in 2021. LSU owes Kelly over $53 million, meaning he will receive just over $740,000 per month through 2031, unless the program negotiates a smaller buyout.

"$54 million is a lot of money," Finebaum continued. "Interestingly, Scott Woodward, who hired Kelly and allowed him to have that $54 million buyout, also hired Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M, who got a $76 million buyout."

.@finebaum reacts to Brian Kelly's firing from LSU 😳 pic.twitter.com/4F0baT8gty
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) October 27, 2025

Over his four seasons in Baton Rouge, Kelly was 34-14 overall and 19-10 in the SEC. He led the Tigers to the SEC Championship game in his first season, but fell to Georgia in a 50-30 blowout loss. LSU has made three consecutive bowl appearances under Kelly, winning all three, but failed to make the College Football Playoff.

Running backs coach Frank Wilson will step in as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. It's Wilson's second stint at LSU, also serving as the assistant head coach and running backs coach from 2010-15 under former head coach Les Miles. He was also the head coach at UTSA and McNeese State, finishing with a 26-40 overall record over six seasons.

LSU will look to regroup during a much-needed bye week before a trip to Tuscaloosa for a huge SEC matchup against No. 4 Alabama.