Brian Kelly thinks his successor can do at LSU what he couldn’t.
The Tigers fired Kelly in October after a 49-25 home loss to Texas A&M, LSU’s third loss in four games, and brought in Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss in November, a dramatic move right before the Rebels competed in the College Football Playoff. In four years at LSU, Kelly went 34-14 and failed to win a championship for a program with a win-now mindset.
In an interview Wednesday with USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer and John Brice, Kelly said he believes Kiffin can get it done.
“I think so,” he said about whether Kiffin will win the Tigers a national championship. “That wasn’t yes. Here’s why I would say yes. I think they have invested in NIL for him. They have given him the opportunity. There’s a lot of good things moving in that direction. The recruiting classes are really in solid shape, and I think Lane’s a really smart football coach.”
In the offseason, Kiffin brought in The Athletic’s highest-ranked transfer portal class, including quarterback Sam Leavitt (Arizona State), edge Princewill Umanmielen (Ole Miss), offensive tackle Jordan Seaton (Colorado), linebacker TJ Dottery (Ole Miss) and safety Ty Benefield (Boise State).
“I think it’s in a really good place,” Kelly continued. “And I believe because there’s an investment in that NIL, he’s going to be able to be Lane Kiffin. And that’s important. He’s not going to take the 18-year-old kid and develop him all the way through the ranks. And that’s fine. Because that’s what they wanted. I think with those things in place, he can win the national championship.”
Kelly pointed to name, image and likeness as one of the areas he has reflected on during his time at LSU.
“We were a little bit late on some of the NIL things in terms of investing money; I put a million dollars up into it,” he said. “But look, at the end of the day, I didn’t win enough games.”
After LSU bought out Kelly for an estimated $53 million, the former coach has been open about his desire to return to the sideline — but not for just anyone.
“I’m in a very good position that I don’t have to coach again unless it’s the right coaching position,” he said, “but I want to coach.”
