Former LSU head coach Brian Kelly is still on the market after being fired during the Tigers’ 2025 season. LSU ended last season with a 7-6 record under interim coach Frank Wilson, but new head coach Lane Kiffin has been active in the offseason, aiming to set up a strong 2026 season.
Brian Kelly Admits LSU’s National Championship Demand As Lane Kiffin Set To Face Sky-High Expectations
Kelly left Notre Dame to take the LSU job, signing a massive contract to succeed Ed Orgeron, citing a desire for greater resources to compete for a national championship. At the time, Notre Dame was still in contention for a College Football Playoff spot, but his tenure at LSU ultimately ended in his firing.
Kelly spoke with Dusty Dvoracek on SiriusXM College Sports Radio on Friday about the pressure differences between Notre Dame and LSU.
“I went to Notre Dame to bring them back to relevance,” Kelly said. “They had slipped off the map, if you will. Facilities had fallen behind. The love and passion for the game had slipped a bit. That was my job. So from a pressure standpoint, you just focused on building a program and doing it the right way, and being consistent, and getting that program back with new facilities and a new indoor, and the stadium, and all of those things that go with getting a program back to elite status.”
“When I took the LSU job, it was win or go home. It was win the national championship, or go home. So the pressure’s different from that standpoint because you’re, you’re trying to make decisions that affect winning on the field a little bit quicker than maybe you did at Notre Dame.”
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Despite leaving LSU without reaching the playoff, Kelly wasn’t unsuccessful. He won 10 games in each of his first two seasons, finishing with a 34-14 record.
Kiffin, who also left Ole Miss ahead of the playoff run, will now face the same “win the national championship or go home” expectations. While Kiffin may not feel the full pressure in his first season, expectations will rise quickly as his tenure progresses.
LSU has invested a big chunk of money to make Kiffin’s tenure successful, as Kelly said Kiffin and his staff invested over $40 million in assembling the 2026 roster.
Kiffin spoke on LSU’s recruitment push in February.
“The whole town was amazing in recruiting to help bring all these kids in and the hospitality that they showed them,” Kiffin said. “Hotels, restaurants, on campus, it was unbelievable, and they could feel it. There were all kinds of meetings at the end of the official visits, when you talk through ‘Okay, what did you think about your experience?’ Parents, the players, they said it was amazing, the LSU experience and the Baton Rouge experience.”
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LSU landed three of the five best portal players available this offseason: Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, and Ole Miss EDGE Princewill Umanmielen. That is why many think the alleged $40+ million claim is true. If it is actually true, the demand will be extra heavy from both the fanbase and the front office.
PFSN projects LSU has a 36.92% chance of reaching the College Football Playoff during Kiffin’s first season in 2026.
