No. 10 LSU and No. 17 Vanderbilt faced off over the weekend for a massive Week 8 SEC matchup. Going into the game, Brian Kelly’s side was looking to win its 11th straight meeting against the Commodores. The Tigers ultimately fell to a 31-24 loss.
LSU Moving Towards Major Coaching Change
Following the game, LSU is currently 5-2 on the season and is in danger of missing the College Football Playoffs again under the head coach. This had led to calls from fans to and fire their head coach. However, some have suggested an alternative route.
Following LSU’s loss against the Commodores, Kelly appears to be the next College Football head coach to land himself on the hot seat. Following the consequential loss, “CBS Sports Insider.” Chris Hummer revealed why the head coach may not be the only one in danger.
“I think if anything happens at LSU, you could probably be talking about a coordinator change on the offensive side of the ball. I think Joe Sloan’s a great coach, but change happens in these situations. That’s the coaching change I’d circle.” Hummer suggested.
Coming into the matchup, LSU’s offense ranked 12th in the SEC, averaging 366.6 yards per game as well as 25.6 points per game. They also ranked 212th nationally on Offense Impact according to PFSN’s metrics.
Quarterback Garett Nussmeier has also struggled. According to PFN’s QB impact ratings, Nussmeier does not rank in the top 50 for college football quarterbacks. The Tigers’ signal-caller is ranked 63rd on the season, completing 154 of 232 passes for 1,638 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
“I do agree with Chris, though, on making a coordinator change. They’ve already done the let’s go all in on the roster. That move has already been done; the next move is we have to make a coordinator change. I think Joe Sloan is where I would keep an eye on.”
Is Brian Kelly In Trouble With LSU Boosters?
During the episode, Joe Talty also revealed that Kelly’s future may be less secure than first thought. The insider revealed that the boosters have the ability to both boost and damage a head coach’s status. The LSU head coach may have a problem in that regard.
Brian Kelly has received too much credit while accepting too little blame pic.twitter.com/rEH6s5eYHj
— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) October 20, 2025
“I think there’s sometimes that when you are really tight with the high-ups and the boosters. I would put Brian Kelly in the latter category at LSU. I think that there’s some people who might be willing to.” Talty revealed.
According to reports, LSU would owe Kelly $53.3 million if the athletic director chose to fire him without cause. Kelly has seven years remaining on his 10-year, $95 million deal that runs through Dec. 31, 2031.
While Coach Kelly has undeniably built himself some goodwill with the fans over the last few years, there is one thing missing. LSU’s ambition over the last few seasons has been to contend for a National Championship, and its current head coach hasn’t delivered.
“The point is. I think there are people there who were not the biggest fans of him and have not been the biggest fans of him. He has upset some people there who have juice. That’s just something I would keep an eye on, maybe he gets less time than you think.”
The Tigers have games against Texas A&M, Alabama, and Oklahoma coming up. After falling to 20th in the AP Top 25 Rankings, Kelly may have some time to save his job yet. However, if they fail to make the playoffs, LSU could start a search for a new head coach.
