Former LSU DT Sydir Mitchell open to return, claims Brian Kelly made him leave team

Stories from Baton Rouge continue to come out after the firing of Brian Kelly. Some from the players themselves. Former LSU defensive tackle Sydir Mitchell is the latest, claiming it was not his decision to leave the program. Instead, Kelly is the one who forced him out.

“I’m going to be real, I didn’t leave the team, bro,” Mitchell said via TikTok Live. ” … People come to disagreements but it wasn’t no hard feelings… It was his decision. It wasn’t nobody else’s decision. It was BK’s. He felt like the decision wasn’t fair for the team, even though it had nothing to do with the team. That’s how he felt.”

Mitchell came to LSU ahead of the 2025 season out of the NCAA transfer portal. He initially signed with the Texas Longhorns out of high school, playing in nine games and recording seven tackles plus 0.5 tackles for a loss. Only two seasons were spent in Austin before heading to another SEC school.

LSU hoped Mitchell could carve out a role in the defensive line rotation this year. After two games, he had yet to play a snap. Shortly after, Kelly confirmed Mitchell was no longer with LSU and cited the failure to meet “workplace standards.”

Now, the plan appears to be for Mitchell to get back in the portal. He said as such on the same TikTok Live, just finishing out the fall semester before looking for a new spot.

“I’m finna get in that portal,” Mitchell said. “I just got to finish up school. I’m just staying low key, finishing school, bro.”

But later, Mitchell got asked if he would be open to returning to LSU. His answer was an emphatic one, meaning his days in the purple and gold might not be over. You have to imagine it depends on who winds up being the hire.

“Hell yeah, I’d come back,” Mitchell said. “Hell ya. Be around this Boot.”

Mitchell played high school football at Oradell (NJ) Bergen Catholic, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 226 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

No matter where he ends up, multiple years of eligibility remain. Mitchell does not have the production but coaches certainly will be interested in defensive tackles of his size, who also possess a small amount of SEC experience. Apparently, Kelly was not one of them after two weeks in the regular season.