After four years of mediocre football, the LSU Tigers finally had enough with Brian Kelly and decided to pull the plug. The release comes on the heels of a crushing 49-25 home loss to Texas A&M, where “Fire Kelly” chants filled the air. Former LSU star Lamin Barrow recalled what the program had under previous coaches that Kelly didn’t. And no, he wasn’t talking about Nick Saban.

On October 26, the college football world witnessed the end of the Brian Kelly era at Baton Rouge. Former LSU linebacker Lamin Barrow spoke during an alumni event and compared Kelly’s tenure to the sound old Les Miles era. The reporter asked him, “You look back on that time, certainly you could count on toughness, defense for the most part, run-the-football physicality. That’s what you remember about?”

With the answer beaming in his eyes, he said, “Sure, smash-mouth football. That was one of the things I respected about that era and at that time of football and coaching. Left or right, yes or not, you know. It was simple and straightforward—you either beat someone, or you got beat up.”

Les Miles’s “smash-mouth” football era at LSU was all about a challenging, physical running game and a dominant defense, especially in the late 2000s and early 2010s. That style relied heavily on controlling the line of scrimmage to wear down opponents and give up as few points as possible.

Lamin Barrow was the heart of that smash-mouth football. As a linebacker from 2009 to 2013, he was right in the middle of it all, playing that classic, in-your-face brand of football. Barrow was a hard-hitting LB who helped anchor the middle of LSU’s defense, and he was even an All-SEC player late in his career.

The former linebacker doubled down on his critique of LSU’s current culture: “But I think just the mentality we had came from the coaching staff up above, and it trickled down throughout the team. Times are different right now.” The writing was on the wall for a while. Kelly was brought in to bring LSU back to national championship glory; instead, he stripped away much of the culture and mentality that LSU football had.

Ultimately, the program decided a change was necessary to get back on track. Hovering around the top 10 wasn’t good enough for a program with championship-level expectations, especially with losses in key games. With Kelly gone, LSU is searching for its next leader to restore the program’s standards and culture.

Frank Wilson will take over as interim head coach for now.

Brian Kelly’s insane buyout

The LSU Tigers have to spend a fortune on Brian Kelly’s buyout. After four years of mediocre performance (by LSU standards) and 34 wins, the Tigers booted Brian Kelly on a plain Sunday evening following what was technically a season-losing Saturday game. The Tigers are looking at a hefty financial hit with Kelly’s firing.

USA TODAY reports that LSU now owes Brian Kelly $53.3 million after firing him without cause. This is one of the biggest buyouts in college football. It shows how much LSU was betting on Kelly when they hired him from Notre Dame in December 2021.

Under the contract, LSU has to pay Kelly 90% of his remaining salary, bonuses, and other pay, and the money will be paid in monthly installments rather than all at once. Kelly still has seven years left on his 10-year, $95 million deal, which runs through December 31, 2031. The contract also has a special rule: if Kelly had won a national championship and terminated afterward, LSU would have owed him 100% of the remaining money. Imagine the financial consequences of that.

There’s also a standard rule that Kelly must try to find another coaching job, and any salary he earns there would reduce what LSU has to pay him. Thus, Brian Kelly’s next destination could be the start of something fresh or something that will dent his legacy. Let’s wait and watch.