Frank Wilson will serve as LSU Football's interim head coach

LSU running backs coach Frank Wilson will serve as the program’s interim head coach following the decision to fire Brian Kelly, sources tell The Bengal Tiger staff.

The New Orleans native and two-time Rivals National Recruiter of the Year has spent time as an assistant under multiple head coaches in Baton Rouge.

Now, Wilson takes the reigns for the team’s final four games, beginning with a trip to Tuscaloosa to face No. 4 Alabama following the team’s bye week.

The Tigers wrap up the season with games against the Tide, Arkansas, Western Kentucky and Oklahoma.

Wilson was one of the first hires for Kelly when he took over the LSU program in December of 2021. Wilson had served as LSU’s running backs coach and associate head coach during Kelly’s four seasons in Baton Rouge.

Wilson previously spent six years on the LSU coaching staff before working under Kelly, serving as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator from 2010 to 2015. He is well-known both in the Bayou State and around the country for his time in purple-and-gold, and he has prior head coaching experience at both UTSA and McNeese.

Kelly’s firing comes short of four full seasons as head coach in Baton Rouge, and Saturday’s loss to Texas A&M will keep the Tigers short of a 10-win regular season for the fourth time during his four years as head coach.

Kelly, who was hired from Notre Dame ahead of the 2022 season, had a 34-14 record as LSU Football’s head coach.

The move to part ways with Kelly comes less than 24 hours after the Tigers fell to Texas A&M in Death Valley on Saturday night on a night when fans chanted for Kelly to be fired before heading to the exits after the third quarter of a 49-25 loss.

The move comes after a 5-3 start to a 2025 season that brought with it expectations of making the 12-team College Football Playoffs.

With back-to-back losses, the Tigers are all but out of the CFB Playoffs race as Kelly fell short of a 10-win regular season for the fourth time in his four seasons in Baton Rouge.

While Kelly’s remaining contract and notable buyout of nearly $60 million was viewed by many as too big of a hurdle for the school to part ways, but the move made by LSU on Sunday put the debates to rest. The two sides continue to work on the final buyout numbers, sources confirmed.

After 48 games as head coach at LSU, Kelly’s time at the helm in Baton Rouge has ended.