Brian Kelly hot seat: Paul Finebaum dives into buyout, if LSU should pay it

If LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly wasn’t on the hot seat before this weekend, a loss to Texas A&M certainly put him on it now. That frustration is very real in Baton Rouge, but it also doesn’t guarantee that Kelly will be gone. In fact, the buyout could be a major impediment.

ESPN pundit Paul Finebaum appeared on The Matt Barrie Show on the Sunday following the Texas A&M loss. There, he emphasized that while this season hasn’t been a disaster, it also hasn’t been good enough for Kelly. That means, as the pressure grows, it may come down to the financials if he returns to this job next season.

“We thought they were,” Paul Finebaum said. “And I don’t need to tell you, for all the dumb takes that I’ve had before the season, I mean, there were equally dumb ones about Garrett Nussmeier and LSU because that’s just where we are in college football. This, to me, is not quite as epic as Penn State or Clemson, because let’s be honest, LSU is losing to good teams. They’re not just losing to dog meat out there, but they still have at least two games that they could also lose. The narrative was Playoff or bust for Brian Kelly.”

There is clearly frustration building, but it’s never as simple as firing an underperforming coach. Kelly would have the second-highest buyout in college football history, as the Tigers would owe Kelly $53 million. That would trail only Jimbo Fisher, who had a $77 million buyout at Texas A&M. Ironically, there is an athletic director connection there that Paul Finebaum pointed out in Scott Woodward.

“So, I don’t really know what happens now. I was there about four or five weeks ago,” Finebaum said. “And the administration seemed aligned but that was a couple of losses ago. I think you just have to read the tea leaves on how hot the pressure gets. Can LSU afford $52 million? And the irony is that the team that beat them, that the guy that will be making the decision on Brian Kelly, Scott Woodward, is the one who brought Jimbo Fisher to Texas A&M in the first place. So, he’s well thought of and he’s hired a couple of national championship coaches in women’s basketball and baseball. That’s not going to matter, though. Brian Kelly is subject number one and it’s not going away.”

Brian Kelly made the jump from Notre Dame to LSU in 2022. At the time, he made it clear that it was because he wanted to go somewhere he felt he could win a national championship. Seeing as the last three LSU coaches had done so, it made some sense.

This season, LSU entered with those massive College Football Playoff expectations that Paul Finebaum noted. Now, however, the Tigers have lost three of four games and it looks like they’re out of Playoff contention. Naturally, the pressure is growing as LSU has failed to meet those expectations.

“And one more thing, the national media hates him,” Finebaum said. “Okay? So, when it’s discussed on shows up and down the dial, he will not catch any favors at all.”

LSU and Brian Kelly are hoping to bounce back now in the bye week. After that, they’ll immediately be tested again with a road trip against Alabama.