What’s the mindset with which Brian Kelly stepped into the 2025 season? “It’s time. Year 4 for Brian Kelly,” said Joel Klatt. But can the analyst be blamed? No way. After all, Kelly himself said he would judge him after four years. He is carrying a heavy burden on his shoulders. Thanks to his predecessors. Almost every one who has held the Tigers’ head coaching seat has won a national championship. No other than GOAT Nick Saban started the trend in 2003, while Les Miles and Ed Orgeron caught up in 2007 and 2019. As Kelly’s luck is yet to favor him, his patience is thin. But his impatience might cost him hard as he refuses to keep calm while present at the sidelines. It looks like Pat McAfee is genuinely concerned about the head coach.

McAfee has been one of Kelly’s biggest fans. Last year in September, he made the LSU head coach blush after singing “Neck,” which was banned for its NSFW lyrics. The coach immediately turned red and said, “I’m out.” A year later, McAfee has his eyes on Kelly after he got crushed on the sideline while trying to call a timeout against Billy Napier’s Florida Gators on September 13.

On the September 17th episode of the Pat McAfee Show, the host pleaded, “Brian Kelly watch is real right now…but his LSU team is good for the first time. He is eager to be out there. Broken neck, broken hip, whatever the case he wants to be out there. The refs are sending out the memo, Brian, get the f- -k out of the way. They are gonna kill you.” Against the Gators, Kelly found himself on the wrong end of a collision late in the first half. With LSU marching toward a field goal, tempers flared after a short Caden Durham run.

As Kelly looked downfield to grab an official’s attention, LSU tackle Weston Davis drove Florida’s George Gumbs Jr. out of bounds, straight into his head coach. McAfee noted, “In the face of adversity, he held in the pocket, the guys were crashing down, and he completed the time-out. Brian Kelly, you’re way too old to be taking these hits. And I want to say, Brian, congrats, dude. Just keep on chugging. This guy’s taking two huge shots this season.” That’s how Kelly is not new to sideline mishaps. 

This season, this is the second hit the LSU head coach has taken. The first was during their opening face-off against the Clemson Tigers. How did McAfee react to it? “He did a full back flump and a roll, smacked his head on the ground, lost his headset,” said the analyst. “He wanted to chew out the ref but quickly realized he was in the wrong.” The tumble looked serious, and Kelly had to undergo further medical investigations. 

Brian Kelly’s viral collision against Clemson lands him in the MRI room

When chaos hit the LSU sideline, the clock was bleeding out in the first half against Clemson. Kelly was in a split-second decision that could have swung momentum against Clemson. As an official backpedaled in his direction, Kelly could foresee that a brush would draw a crippling 15-yard flag. Instead of risking it, he veered off, lost his footing, and crashed to the ground. While he maintained his balance, hardly did he know what awaited him. 

Kelly’s boys stormed back from a 10-3 halftime hole to grab a 17-10 advantage in the fourth quarter. But something beyond the actual play caught the attention. As Dabo Swinney’s squad aired a deep ball, Kelly strayed too close to the action. That’s when he clipped a referee, sending himself sprawling onto the turf. Within a split second, Kelly bounced back up quickly, unfazed, but not before cameras captured the spill. 

While he looked fine, he was left behind with a stiff lower back. So much so, as a precautionary measure, Kelly underwent an MRI scan on September 15, Monday morning. This was confirmed by McAfee, who said, “Our sources have told us that Brian Kelly went in for an MRI this morning.”  

Maybe many things are going on in the head coach’s life, so much so that Brian Kelly could not hold any longer and lost his cool at a reporter who had nitpicked LSU’s offensive issues against Florida. “We played the game to win the game,” came the head coach’s blunt retort. What does Kelly need most at this moment? Steady nerves and a calm head, from kickoff to the final whistle and even after it.