The Brian Kelly vs. LSU lawsuit took another sharp turn. The battle that started with Kelly’s petition accusing LSU of unfairly firing him and attempting to name it “for cause” to avoid paying the buyout intensified to the next level. Yet, LSU had had enough, and they finally pulled the plug.

“The LSU board of supervisors authorized new university president Wade Rousse to send former Tigers football coach Brian Kelly a formal notice of termination during a meeting on Friday, according to The Advocate in Baton Rouge,” ESPN College Football reported on X.

After weeks of silence, the university’s board of supervisors allowed President Wade Rousse to formally send him the written notice about officially terminating his contract. This is the first action LSU has taken since Kelly’s lawsuit on November 10, which claimed the university’s firing process was unfair.

It all started when Brian Kelly filed a 48-page lawsuit in Louisiana’s 19th Judicial District Court, accusing the university of devising ways to hold him to his $54 million buyout. LSU’s officials made a bold statement that they never “officially terminated” him. They even pointed out that they fired him “for cause.” This significant step would enable them to avoid paying Kelly’s full buyout.

But another interesting stance emerged when LSU claimed that former AD Scott Woodward never had the authority to fire him. However, he was in Governor Jeff Landry’s office with the LSU Board of Supervisors, including Austin Thomas, Verge Ausberry, and Julie Cromer.

Additionally, Woodward resigned on October 30, following Landry’s public criticism of him over Kelly’s hefty buyout. He stated he would not be involved in hiring the next LSU head coach.

It’s strange to see the developments surrounding Kelly’s termination, as they don’t add up.

Now that their loophole had become evident, LSU pulled this move of sending Brian Kelly the termination notice “without an objection.” “Under Article VII, Section 1(L)(3) of the Board of Supervisors Bylaws, any personnel action relating to varsity athletics coaches with a salary over $250,000 requires board approval,” their statement said.

What adds another layer to this is that LSU even attempted to settle the buyout amount with Kelly, offering him $25 million and $30 million in two installments. Kelly didn’t budge. It is therefore evident that LSU never really claimed the “cause” factor before their move to avoid paying the buyout.

“LSU has never claimed that Coach Kelly was terminated for cause and, prior to November 10, 2025, never asserted that he engaged in any conduct that would warrant such a termination,” Kelly’s lawsuit said. “To the contrary, LSU repeatedly confirmed, both publicly and to Coach Kelly, that the termination was due to the team’s performance, not for cause.”

With that, even LSU’s coaching search intensifies.

LSU Tigers move to find Brian Kelly’s replacement

LSU is trying to get its biggest coaching candidate. They offered Lane Kiffin, out of Oxford, an offer of $90 million to make him leave Ole Miss, as per Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger’s update. All the Tigers ever wanted was a championship-winning coach. Now that Ole Miss is right in playoff contention, this makes perfect timing for their move.

Moreover, Kiffin’s success is the real deal behind this move. Since arriving in 2020, he has led Ole Miss to a bowl game every year. Even last year, they squarely missed the playoffs. Now, they are ranked in sixth position, pretty much in the race. Furthermore, the Rebels pay Kiffin a $9 million salary, which makes him the 10th-highest-paid coach in the nation.

With that $90 million offer, LSU might even give an additional $25 million per season for its roster development. Even Kiffin has been showing interest in the program, visiting on Friday, and his family was also present in Baton Rouge. Now, let’s wait and see if all these speculations lead to reality and land Kiffin at LSU.

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