LSU announced Sunday night that it had dismissed coach Brian Kelly following the team’s loss to Texas A&M, which dropped its record to 5-3.
Kelly was in the fourth year of his 10-year, $100 million deal, and while associate head coach Frank Wilson will serve as interim coach for the rest of the 2025 season, the name of an LSU legend has already emerged as a potential candidate.
Which LSU Legend Just Entered the Tigers’ Head Coaching Race?
Robert Griffin III posted a video on social media reacting to the firing of former LSU coach Brian Kelly before dropping the bombshell about school legend Tyrann Mathieu.
Mathieu was an LSU standout for his contributions on defense during two seasons with the team from 2010-11. The All-American safety even set an SEC record with 11 forced fumbles during his stint with the Tigers.
Mathieu brought his talent to the NFL and played for Arizona, Houston, Kansas City, and New Orleans, earning three first-team All-Pro selections and helping the Chiefs win Super Bowl LIV.
On Sunday, Griffin premised, “Oh, LSU just fired Brian Kelly! Well, that marks the end of one of the worst-fit hires in college football history. The man Brian Kelly faked his accent in his first public speaking engagements at LSU. That tells you just how fast that was going to go downhill.”
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Then, the Baylor standout and former Washington signal-caller made a big announcement about which former Tiger legend expressed his desire to work at LSU as its next head coach.
“Tyrann ‘Honey Badger’ Mathieu hit me up and let me know that he wants the head coaching job at LSU,” Griffin said. “You can’t tell me any LSU Tiger wouldn’t want him to lead them back to prominence. Honey Badger bring ’em back, y’all!”
He recalled LSU once had an identity built on specific skill sets — from being the “Wide Receiver U” featuring Jamar Chase, Justin Jefferson, Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr., and Brian Thomas Jr.
It was previously known for its punishing ground game, with running backs coach and now interim coach Frank Wilson calling the shots. Under Wilson, running backs Leonard Fournette, Steven Ridley, Spencer Ware, and Jeremy Hill ran over the opposition with reckless abandon and went on to become NFL picks after college.
Griffin suggested that if Tyrann Mathieu were hired as head coach, the university should assemble a highly skilled coaching staff composed of experienced offensive and defensive coordinators and other coaches who can help him learn the ropes.
LSU hopes to end its six-year national championship drought, and hiring a former Tiger in the “Honey Badger” in 2026 could do the trick.
