Brian Kelly isn’t spending his post-LSU life thinking the sport betrayed him. He’s sitting in a Florida home office watching film, studying the transfer portal, and apparently interrogating AI chatbots. The former LSU and Notre Dame head coach revealed that he’s actively using artificial intelligence to prepare for his next coaching opportunity. 

“Every day, I’m trying to do my due diligence using Claude and AI, asking questions to build some of those answers that I think can be helpful for me as I get in front of an athletic director,” Brian Kelly told USA Today’s John Brice and Blake Toppmeyer.

His revelation gives fans a clear message about what Brian Kelly’s ultimate goal is after the LSU firing. While he’s made TV appearances and fueled speculations, he’s preparing for interviews and fully expects to coach again. Because for all the jokes people made after the Tigers fired him, he still owns nearly 300 career wins. He’s still one of the most accomplished active coaches of the modern era. And now, the 64-year-old is trying to keep up. 

Brian Kelly made an interesting distinction while discussing AI platforms. According to him, Claude offers more flexibility and predictive thinking, while ChatGPT is more structured and direct. That tells you he’s spent some time experimenting with these systems and he already sees practical football applications.

“There’s some interesting things that I’ve laid down relative to recruiting, profiling, transfer portal, there’s a lot of work you can do,” Kelly added. “ And I think it’s going to have to be part of the next iteration in coaching. You’re going to have to utilize those tools.”

He isn’t wrong about where the sport is headed. The transfer portal flips rosters overnight. Now, players have become very smart in negotiating alongside their agents. Boosters and NIL have become a major factor in recruitment. So Brian Kelly feels AI can enhance the game. 

“I think AI, used the right way, and understanding how to use it, can enhance the experience for everybody,” he said. 

If you look beyond his revelation, it’s Brian Kelly admitting that the old ways alone are no longer enough. That LSU ending clearly still bothers him. He went 34-14 overall. The Tigers went 22-3 at home under him and won an SEC West title. They produced the nation’s No. 1 offense and produced a Heisman winner. The problem was, they never made it to the CFP. 

Last season, LSU faded badly, losing three of their last four games before a brutal 49-25 loss to Texas A&M. Then he got fired midseason on October 25. And Brian Kelly knows what ultimately mattered.

“I would say there’s an easy, simple answer,” he previously told USA Today. “And I didn’t win enough games. There’s a longer answer to why that didn’t happen – I’ll probably have to write a book about that. There’s always cause and effect, and the effect was I didn’t win enough games, period.”

Brian Kelly seems convinced there were structural problems bigger than just wins and losses. And reading between the lines, he appears determined not to walk into that environment blind again. Maybe that explains why he’s now obsessively studying tools that help process information faster and identify patterns quicker.

So what exactly is Brian Kelly doing now?

Brian Kelly is somehow unemployed and extremely active at the same time. He remains a coaching free agent but nobody around the sport actually believes he’s done. Last month, he made his first TV appearance since LSU fired him, joining CBS Sports Network coverage alongside Brent Stover, Kevin Carter, and Beanie Wells to discuss NFL Draft prospects. According to reports, more studio work, radio appearances, and podcast spots are expected moving forward.

But this isn’t what Brian Kelly is settling with. He himself has already hinted he wants back in, under the right conditions. He reportedly continues watching film daily and has already received consulting offers from programs preparing for the 2026 season. And while the media work keeps him visible, it also conveniently satisfies another reality. LSU’s massive $54 million buyout requires him to actively seek employment opportunities.

So no, Brian Kelly isn’t going away from coaching. He’s preparing. And maybe that’s the biggest takeaway from all of this. After nearly three decades of coaching success, he could’ve blamed players, NIL, administrators, or “the changing game” like plenty of old-school coaches do. Instead, he’s asking AI questions. Although it doesn’t guarantee his next stop will work any better than LSU did, it does suggest he’s going all in if he gets another opportunity.