It’s been almost a month since LSU waved goodbye to Brian Kelly on October 26. His name has been bouncing around for jobs like Penn State and Michigan State. But insider chatter from one of his old crew just threw up a big red flag. Kelly already carries baggage from messy relationships with teammates and staff. And now, a former WR added fuel to the fire.

On November 19th, Notre Dame insider Bruce Sraughan posted a clip of an episode of the Raw Room podcast. In the clip, Cincinnati Bearcats legendary wide receiver Mardy Gilyard shared his experience while playing under Brian Kelly. After hearing Kelly would leave Cincinnati, back in 2009, he straightaway asked the head coach. “What’s all this b- – – – – – – about? Notre Dame. Hey man, you tell me you leaving or what?” recalled Gilyard. “And he looks at me, he goes, ‘Leave? Huh! We’re the number three team in the country. What am I going to leave for?'”

Just days later, Kelly left Cincinnati on December 11, 2009, to become the head coach at the University of Notre Dame. Under Kelly, the Bearcats were on fire, racking up consecutive Big East championships. The 2008 squad went 11-3 and made an Orange Bowl appearance, falling to Virginia Tech. Then came 2009, a perfect 12-0 run in the regular season.

On the eve of the team’s postseason banquet, he told the players he was out. When he rolled into Cincinnati’s Westin, cops in tow, he didn’t say a word to the waiting press. In a tense team meeting, Kelly announced he was leaving, giving thanks for the players’ support. Not everyone was buying it. One minute later, Gilyard stormed out, fuming. It wasn’t just the Bearcats; Notre Dame got a taste of Kelly’s sudden exits, too.

On November 29, 2021, Kelly messaged Notre Dame’s players to confirm the news of his moving out. By then, he had an offer worth “north of $100 million” from LSU on his table. “Let me first apologize for the late night text and, more importantly, for not being able to share the news with you in person that I will be leaving Notre Dame,” Kelly wrote. “Our program is elite because of your hard work and commitment and I know that will continue. I will share more in the morning when we meet.” The reason he put forward for hitting the swap button this time?

Looking for the next big test, he felt LSU gave him more firepower and a real shot at chasing championships year after year. But poor Kelly! He was hardly aware how the tables would turn and that LSU would be the one moving on without him. And now that the 64-year-old head coach is out in the market, he has two options left.  

Two paths lie ahead of Brian Kelly

With Kelly’s departure from Baton Rouge, more reports have come up. For instance, 4-star defensive lineman Sydir Mitchell posted a TikTok video on November 13th. In that clip he shared, “What happened at LSU, I didn’t leave the team.” Back in September, while still LSU’s head coach, Kelly told the press Mitchell left because he didn’t meet ‘workplace standards.’

Months later, the player claimed otherwise, that Kelly pushed him out. Now that Baton Rouge is looking for a new coach, Mitchell expressed his interest in coming back. Carrying the burden of all these charges, a college football analyst only sees two paths waiting for Kelly in the near future. 

“The one job I could see him maybe at, is if Michigan State does open up,” Bruce Feldman said on a November 18 episode of The McShay Show. “After that, I just don’t see him go [anywhere else].” Michigan State is winless in Big Ten play, sitting at 0-7 with a bleak 3-7 overall mark, riding a seven-game skid in Jonathan Smith’s year two. Feldman pointed out that G5 gigs like Tulane and North Texas could pop open if their coaches get snatched up by bigger programs. However, they will not be appealing to Kelly. With Michigan State reportedly leaning toward firing Jonathan Smith post-season, Kelly might have a prime opportunity waiting in 2026.