No matter how sour the ending of the LSU chapter must have been for Brian Kelly, he sends an olive branch their way. The former head coach is owed just more than $54 million in buyout money. Other than this, Kelly is owed a prorated amount from his annual personal travel payment. But looks like he does not want to carry any bitter feelings about the Tigers camp in his heart while leaving. Hence, he offered to meet at a midpoint. 

On November 5, WAFB posted a screenshot of Kelly’s farewell note. He offered his hand of cordiality forward. A part of the note read, “As we discussed in our meeting, I’m open to your desire to reach a settlement of what’s owed to me under the contract, although of course it would have to make sense financially.” 

Landing a big-name coach will drain your wallet, but showing him the door might empty it. That’s what LSU has learned the hard way. Even before Kelly, in 2021, they fired Ed Orgeron. The athletic department agreed to pay him nearly $17 million just to depart. Scott Woodward then signed a 10-year, $100 million contract with Kelly. But even before he could complete the fourth circle, he got dismissed. 

LSU’s chief communications officer, Zach Greenwell, told The Daily Advertiser on Oct. 29 that talks have still been underway over Kelly’s exit check, with a staggering $54 million buyout on the table. This makes the second-highest buyout ever, behind Texas A&M’s $77 million owed to Jimbo Fisher. Former AD Woodward has already paid a heavy price for making the costly mistake.

Before firing him, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry pointed his fingers at Woodward’s decision and said, “And the question becomes is like, do we need $100 million to lure a coach?” The question is all the more relevant when the ROI is zero. Just in Kelly’s case, where he becomes the first coach in recent LSU history to not bring a Natty in Baton Rouge. Talking about the exact figure that Kelly is supposed to receive?

LSU’s breakup with Kelly comes with a hefty bill: $54,048,334 in total, including a prorated $167,667 retention bonus and $91,667 from his $275,000 travel fund. His deal sweetened the pot with $500,000 every July he was still running the show, a clause that’s now expired. Even though Kelly tries to be the bigger person, he is not going to get the return ticket to Baton Rouge anytime soon. After all, the Tigers are in no hurry to find his predecessor, as came in AD Verge Ausberry’s latest update.

Patience becomes LSU’s Playbook after Brian Kelly’s exit

Things are going too fast in Baton Rouge, except for finding their next head coach. They fired Kelly, Landry took away the recruiting powers from Woodward, fired Woodward, and named Ausberry as their interim AD. On November 4, they removed the “interim” tag. New school president Wade Rousse made the decision on Tuesday, his first day in office.

After all, nobody knows LSU better than Ausberry, a former LSU linebacker who has been connected to the university for more than 30 years. He worked with the LSU athletic department as an intern. Over the past two decades, he has taken care of multiple areas, including game management, sports marketing, and fundraising, among others.

Under Woodward, he happened to hold the chair of executive deputy AD. So, the next big thing on his plate now must be to find Kelly’s successor. However, he is taking his own sweet time. As Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger shared an interesting update on X: “Something to consider as Ausberry leads LSU’s search for a coach: During a Baton Rouge radio hit today with @MattMoscona, Ausberry said LSU will consider a coach who participates in the playoff, even if that means waiting until as late as January to make a formal hire.”

Well, he can’t be blamed for being extra cautious with the head coaching hunt. After all, LSU can’t offer another stumble after Brian Kelly. “We’re going to hire the best football coach there is,” Verge Ausberry said. “That’s our job. We are not going to let this program fail. LSU has to be in the playoffs every year in football. There are 12 teams that make it. It’s going to expand here. We have to be one of those teams at LSU. No substitute.” Will this patience pay off in the long run?