For Brian Kelly, who always remained in the headlines, staying out of the spotlight ever since his firing was unexpected. His former program, LSU, has moved on since then, as it poached Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss. When asked if he had a word of advice for his successor, the former Tiger head coach was blunt in his response.

“Lane doesn’t need advice,” said Kelly, speaking to USA Today. “He’s seen it from the NFL to SC to building a program… I don’t think I’m telling him anything he doesn’t know. The world we live in today, Michigan just won a basketball championship with five transfers. You can do it, but there are so many moving pieces. I don’t think he needs any advice.”

Ever since arriving in Baton Rouge on a $91 million contract, Kiffin has made some sweeping changes for LSU. He fully overhauled the staff and brought in 11 new additions, eight of whom followed him from Ole Miss. The hires were special since all the coaches had SEC experience and had proven themselves in their respective roles.

Charlie Weis Jr. came in as an offensive coordinator, and Joe Houston joined as special teams coordinator. Weis Jr., for instance, has been Ole Miss’s offensive coordinator since 2022 and led the program to back-to-back second-place finishes in total offense. His coaching prowess in 2025 was special as Ole Miss made the playoffs for the first time. But Kiffin’s brilliance wasn’t just limited to staffing hires.

“Things don’t happen overnight,” Kiffin said. “We’re making some first steps. There’s a ton of work to get the program back up to where everybody around here wants it to be. We’re going to have really good front-line talent guys on our roster, and we’re going to have some depth issues. I’m sure all programs probably feel that way nowadays.”

LSU secured one of the most aggressive transfer portal classes in recent memory, plucking away talent from other teams. Sam Leavitt’s addition on a potential $6 million deal showed Kiffin was dead serious about competing in 2026. Stealing Jordan Seaton from Colorado and Princewill Umanmielen from Ole Miss showed that LSU meant business. Not just that, Kiffin also ensured the future of the QB room after getting 5-star Husan Longstreet from USC.

As for Kelly, he is not letting his LSU stint define his coaching trajectory.

Is Brian Kelly coming back to coach football again?

For Kelly, only results define him, and he proudly points to his 34-12 overall record, 22-3 home record, and 2 ten-win seasons, along with a Heisman winner at LSU. The problem wasn’t that he didn’t win. He just didn’t win enough. And with that, he hinted he is not yet done with the coaching world.

“It starts with what is defined as winning, and unfortunately, it wasn’t defined as enough winning leading into being fired,” Kelly said. “I think you look at everything you’ve done throughout your career, and you’ve got a great process, and you know that process has been successful. I’ve had two losing seasons in 35 years, so you know your process is good. This past transition for me gave me some time to think about the things I would have done differently or better.”

Brian Kelly has already been watching film “a couple of hours a day” in his home office and is plotting staff assembly for his next destination. More importantly, Kelly “still wants to make a difference” and says that he “still has a lot to give.” The goal this time isn’t simply winning; it’s also to help players through mentorship, building relationships, and putting the money aspect aside. To do that, he got an offer from Charles Huff’s Memphis.

The offer was for a consultant role, and Kelly only wants to contribute as a head coach. Currently, he is recovering from a torn labrum injury after being tackled by a Florida defender who charged at him through a tackle. He hasn’t yet undergone surgery for it and is exploring an “alternative way” to recover.