Former LSU head coach Brian Kelly has been absent from the CFB scene following his firing by the Tigers. Now, he has resurfaced not just with a new analyst role at CBS, but with a candid revelation about the health issues that contributed to his time away from the spotlight.

Last October, Kelly was fired for the first time in his head coaching career after LSU was embarrassed at home by the Aggies. In the weeks following the move, the former head coach had to sue the Tigers to confirm that he was fired without cause. Otherwise, he would have lost a portion of the $54 million the program owed him as a buyout. At the same time, Kelly was also recovering from a torn labrum he suffered in a September game.

“I didn’t have the surgery done, went with an alternative way of doing it with stem-cell (therapy) and peptides,” Kelly told USA TODAY Sports. “The most conventional way was to get it done with surgery. But, after what happened at LSU and I was out of a job, the last thing you want to do is be stuck in a sling.”

During this time, the former LSU head coach also reflected on why things didn’t work in Baton Rouge. The winningest coach in Notre Dame’s history came to the Tigers with much hype of returning the program to the heights of its 2019 season. However, over his four years, LSU didn’t make either a playoff appearance or a conference championship game.

Why didn’t it work? For Kelly, the answer is simple: they 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,” he said.

Kelly surprised everyone by following the path most high-profile coaches take before their next step. His first public appearance after the whole escapade that exploded came during a preview segment for the 2026 NFL Draft alongside Brent Stover, Beanie Wells, and Kevin Carter on the CBS Sports Network as an analyst. He was giving intel on some of the top players for the brand’s NFL Draft coverage.

Brian Kelly’s advice to Lane Kiffin

Just like Kelly, Lane Kiffin arrived at Baton Rouge with similar hype. However, unlike Notre Dame, Ole Miss took issue with how their head coach left them to join the Tigers. Over the last four months, Kiffin has landed the No. 1 portal class. The 2026 roster looks set, but in a competitive conference like the SEC, that is hardly a guarantee of success.

When asked about his advice to his successor, Kelly praised Kiffin’s resume.

“Lane doesn’t need advice,” said Kelly. “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. I think you just continue to be who you are, that’s all you can be. People are going to judge you based on what they think, anyway. So, just be Lane Kiffin.”

Brian Kelly hasn’t given up on coaching yet. Since his firing, he has been approached to provide consulting services as a consultant. However, for now, he is taking time to reflect on how to do things differently or better at his next stop.