LSU has ended the standoff with Brian Kelly.
The school sent a formal letter Wednesday declaring the former head coach has been fired without cause, which means Kelly is owed $54 million for the six years remaining on his contract, according to multiple reports.
The letter, signed by new LSU president Wade Rousse, also invokes the contract’s mitigation clause. Kelly must make “good-faith, reasonable and sustained efforts to obtain qualifying employment” while damages are owed, ESPN reports.
The move closes weeks of mixed signals. LSU initially framed the Oct. 26 dismissal as performance-related, then left wiggle room after public pressure from Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry.
Kelly’s camp responded in court. His attorneys sought a declaratory judgment, arguing LSU officials had told them he wasn’t “formally terminated,” questioned whether then-athletic director Scott Woodward had authority to fire him and floated cause-based grounds that weren’t pursued adequately under the contract.
Wednesday’s letter effectively shuts that door. It confirms the clean, without-cause termination and the full buyout, which is mitigated only by Kelly finding his next job. Kelly, 64, has indicated he intends to coach again next season.
The timing is not subtle. LSU is pressing ahead with its pursuit of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, a courtship expected to come to a head this weekend, and LSU appears ready to commit significant dollars if Kiffin jumps.
On the field, Kelly’s tenure never matched the paycheck after he signed a 10-year, $95 million deal in November 2021. He went 34-14 with a 3-0 bowl mark, but LSU never finished higher than No. 12, fell outside the Top 25 last season and was 5-3 when he was dismissed following a 49-25 loss vs. Texas A&M.
Since then, interim Frank Wilson has steadied the Tigers at 2-1, beating Arkansas and Western Kentucky after a 20-9 loss to Alabama in Wilson’s debut. LSU sits at 7-4 heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale against No. 8 Oklahoma.
–Field Level Media
