What to know as LSU, Brian Kelly, discuss future of the program

LSU has reached a breaking point with Brian Kelly, but will the school and the Louisiana governor choose to move on and fire Kelly? Or will Kelly be allowed to return with changes coming elsewhere? Here’s a rundown of what we have heard and what has been reported throughout the day.

Conversations have been ongoing since last night after the 49-25 loss to Texas A&M, as the Bengal Tigers’ Shea Dixon reported this morning that staff firings were imminent, but Kelly was not thought to be fired on Sunday initially.

As the sun sets on Baton Rouge, nothing has been announced, but it appears as though much bigger conversations are being had than just the status of the offensive coaching staff. Now, it’s Kelly and LSU who are discussing what’s next for the head coaching position for the Tigers.

On3’s Pete Nakos has had multiple reports, the first of which coming at 4:21 p.m. CT, stating that LSU’s position coaches were sent home from the facility, but Brian Kelly’s future remained unknown. If this was going to be a quick firing of the offensive staff, that would have been done this afternoon. Nakos has also reported that players were already given Sunday and Monday off with the bye wee and no meeting has ben added to the schedule. Now, it’s a waiting game to see if Kelly is getting kept on.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel also posted an update on Kelly’s situation, saying that “LSU is in discussions about Brian Kelly’s future, and that includes outreach to Kelly about his potential departure. The situation is in flux. Kelly is owed $54 million in buyout money.” The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander has posted something similar, saying that part of the discussions being had is “a potential negotiated buyout”, but a decision has not been reached yet.

The final piece of this ongoing story is the people actually making this decision. With LSU not having a president in place,Louisiana governor Jeff Landry has stepped in on these high level discussions, according to Yahoo’s Ross Dellinger. There are a lot of moving pieces which perhaps speaks to the delayed decisions on Sunday.

The situation in Baton Rouge is made complicated as the university is searching for a permanent president (the school announced five finalists).

In its absence, Gov. Jeff Landry has become integral and is expected, if he hasn't already, to meet with key donors & board members.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 26, 2025

While nothing is done, it feels as though LSU and Brian Kelly both understand the situation they are in. Kelly’s 5-3 start to the season after an 8-4 regular season last year is unacceptable by LSU standards and an embarrassing loss to Texas A&M on Saturday only further highlights the need for change. At the very least it seems as though there will be massive changes on the coaching staff, if Kelly is kept on.

If he is not kept on, you have one of the biggest pieces of news of this college football season with Kelly fired and LSU’s head coaching job coming open. Things move quickly in college football and news can break at any moment, but for now Baton Rouge sits patiently, hoping that the silence breaks to gain any clarity on what’s next.