Former LSU coach Brian Kelly was one of the first coaches sacked during last season’s fast and furious coaching carousel that gripped college football. Kelly was fired on Oct. 26, after the Tigers fell to a 5-3 record, despite starting the season as the No. 9-ranked team in the country, with ambitions of clinching a College Football Playoff berth.
Kelly’s departure was far from straightforward as the Tigers tried to fire him with cause due to his off-field activities, causing the coach to sue the program, until the matter was finally settled in November.
Analyst Debunks Brian Kelly Golfing Rumors
During Friday’s segment of the “After Further Review” podcast, analyst Matt Moscona debunked the speculation about Kelly’s commitment to the Tigers and how he spent most of his time in Baton Rouge.
“There was this assumption that Kelly was not committed and locked in,” Moscona said. “I’ve heard it from so many people about Kelly playing golf all the time. That surfaced as LSU was trying to work its way through a for-cause firing. The drinking in the office thing, which he jokingly referred to, was gonna be part of the complaint against Brian Kelly.
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“There were other things as well. Nobody mentioned Brian Kelly playing golf ever when Jayden Daniels was winning a Heisman. They won the West in year one and they were a preseason top-10 team last year and beat Clemson. Nobody mentioned him playing golf. Only when this thing unraveled did it start to become a conversation piece.”
Kelly finished his four-year LSU career with a 34-14 record, including three consecutive bowl wins after arriving from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 2022.
Kelly Addresses LSU Commitment Speculation
During Friday’s segment of Sirius XM’s “Dusty & Danny in the Morning” show, Kelly lightheartedly addressed the speculation about his commitment to the Tigers, while debunking the rumors about his golfing activities in Baton Rouge.
“Well, if you ask LSU, I was playing 350 rounds of golf all through the year and drinking in my office,” Kelly said. “The thing they didn’t know is I have a torn rotator cuff that I suffered in the Florida game on the sideline.
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“I got hit by an offensive and defensive lineman, and it tore my rotator cuff. So, I haven’t played much golf. I’ve been rehabbing, mostly.”
After firing Kelly, the Tigers also got rid of athletic director Scott Woodward, who had hired the coach with a costly buyout from Notre Dame. New athletic director Verge Ausberry was instrumental in the Tigers’ coaching search, finally handing former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin a seven-year, $91 million contract.
