On Nov. 22, Brian Kelly was asked if he’d consider leaving Notre Dame for another head coaching gig. He implied that it would be difficult to lure him away.
“Unless that fairy godmother comes by with that $250 million check,” he said, “my wife would want to take a look at it first. I’d have to run it by her.”
Eight days later, Kelly boarded a charter flight with LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward, LSU President William Tate IV and some LSU athletics executives. Woodward, as he loves to do, had gone fishing and lured in a prize catch. His bait: the expectation of championships (plural), the allure of a recruiting hotbed and the enticement of a seemingly boundless reserve of cash. Kelly signed his new contract thousands of feet in the air. This is where a new era of LSU football officially began.
“I want to be under the bright lights, on the Broadway stage,” Kelly said Tuesday.
Kelly said his conversations with Woodward were clear and direct. He said there was little-to-no negotiating and that the two sides had reached an agreement within 45 minutes, after Woodward reportedly waged a late blitz to land Kelly.
Kelly was one of the first candidates Woodward reached out to when he began his search, The Athletic reported, but he initially declined the offer. In the build-up to LSU’s final game of the regular season against Texas A&M, rumors connecting Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley to LSU ran rampant through the college football world. Riley said Saturday night that he would not be the coach at LSU, surprising many, and by Sunday afternoon, Riley had agreed to be the next coach at USC, surprising even more.
Did Woodward have a deal in place with Riley? What was the extent of their conversations, if they happened at all? Woodward and Kelly offered few answers at a press conference Tuesday.
“LSU fans love a winner, and that’s why they’ll love Brian Kelly,” Woodward said. “All he does is win. He’s not here to taste success. He’s here to sustain it.”
News broke Monday evening that LSU had a deal with Kelly. Kelly sent a text to his team in South Bend, Indiana, at 10 p.m., informing them of his decision. He met with them face-to-face nine hours later, when he spoke to the team in a brief, four-minute address. He said he couldn’t pass up an opportunity for a new challenge and thanked them for a great run.
Kelly then hopped in an SUV, met with Woodward, Tate, executives Verge Ausberry and Stephanie Rempe, and boarded his flight to Baton Rouge. As he signed his contract, Woodward sat to his left. This was a big moment for the athletic director—here, the hire of his life, the reason he returned to his hometown Baton Rouge, was consummated.
The contract Kelly signed made him the highest-paid public school coach in the country. He’ll receive $95 million in base salary over 10 years. Incentives will push that figure over $100 million; as long as he is still LSU’s coach on July 1 of every year, his salary will jump half a million. Every time LSU is bowl eligible, Kelly will get a $500,000 bonus. LSU athletics will pay for his move south. They’ll give him two cars, a $1.2 million allowance to purchase a house and 50 hours of annual rides on a private plane.
When the plane landed, Kelly descended the stairs and walked across a purple carpet. While he walked to a van, he waved to the few dozen fans who came to see him touch down. The van took him straight to the football operations building, where he met with his new players for the first time.
“I’m here because I wanted to coach the very best players in the country that are afforded the best resources in the country and play in the best conference in the country,” Kelly told them. “That’s an incredible challenge for a football coach.”
Reportedly joining Kelly at LSU in December is five-star in-state quarterback recruit Walker Howard, who is expected to enroll early at LSU. Howard was excited about the Kelly hire, he said publicly. Notre Dame and Kelly recruited him, and Howard considered joining the Irish.
Howard will headline a class that Kelly said Tuesday he will prioritize as he transitions to his new job. He implied that he wouldn’t try to bring recruits who are committed to Notre Dame, in contrast to Riley, who reportedly wants to bring Oklahoma commits to sunny Los Angeles.
“Lincoln Riley can do what he wants,” Kelly said Tuesday on the Dan Patrick Show. “Brian Kelly is going to do what he wants.”
“You gotta fight for them,” Kelly said of in-state recruits. “It’s hard to get them out of Louisiana.”
Kelly said that he “certainly” will try to bring over assistant coaches from South Bend, however. Notre Dame is making a push to retain offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, The Athletic reported. Irish Defensive Coordinator Marcus Freeman is rumored to be a candidate for the head coaching position. In 2021, Ed Orgeron tried to hire Freeman as his defensive coordinator, but Kelly landed him instead.
LSU defensive backs coach Corey Raymond, running backs coach Kevin Faulk and strength coach Tommy Moffitt will reportedly stay in Baton Rouge, but definitive reports on who will and will not be on Kelly’s staff are premature, the coach said. He has yet to meet face-to-face with any of LSU’s coaches.
Once he puts a staff together, Kelly said his group will be “aligned” with his goals, attitude and culture. “Alignment” was a recurring theme throughout Kelly’s presser. Numerous times, the new coach urged fans that he, Woodward and Tate are all on the same page. Their values align, he said. It was one of the reasons why he took the job.
“I just felt like it was something that I had to take on,” Kelly said. “I believe that I can make a significant difference here.”
