what happened to lsu football coach

LSU’s previous head coach Brian Kelly was fired in late November 2025 after four disappointing seasons, and Lane Kiffin is now the new head coach of LSU football.

What happened to the LSU football coach?

• Brian Kelly was dismissed on November 26, 2025, after an underwhelming four-year run in Baton Rouge in which LSU’s performance trended downward each season.

• During his tenure, Kelly went 34–14 overall, but he struggled in big games, including a poor record against top-25 opponents and several high-profile SEC losses, which fueled fan and administrative frustration.

• LSU owes Kelly a reported buyout of about $53.3 million under the terms of his contract, turning his exit into one of the most expensive coaching firings in college football history.

Who is coaching LSU now?

• On November 30, 2025, LSU hired Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss to be its new head football coach on a seven-year, $93 million deal.

• Kiffin arrived at LSU fresh off an 11–1 regular season at Ole Miss, where he had turned the Rebels into a national title contender ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll.

• LSU has since been reshaping its staff around Kiffin, with multiple assistants following him from Ole Miss and several hires bringing significant SEC and NFL experience to Baton Rouge.

Why did LSU make the change?

• LSU’s expectations are national-championship-or-bust, and Kelly became the first LSU head coach since 1999 not to win a national title, which magnified every “good but not elite” season.

• Fans and observers pointed to blowout losses, defeats to struggling opponents, and an unranked finish as signs that the program was sliding, not building, under Kelly.

• The decision to move on was framed as a statement that “average” seasons are unacceptable at LSU, even when they might look successful by most other programs’ standards.

Lane Kiffin era: early buzz and forum chatter

• Many LSU fans are excited about Kiffin’s offensive reputation and his track record at Ole Miss, where he engineered explosive offenses and elevated the program into the playoff conversation.

• Around college football, some fans and commentators criticized the timing of Kiffin’s move, since he left Ole Miss just as it was competing for a national championship run.

• On forums and social spaces, there is a mix of hype about LSU “swinging big” with Kiffin and debate about whether his aggressive, high-scoring style will translate into consistent titles in Baton Rouge.

What’s next for LSU football?

• Kiffin has “hit the ground running,” assembling his first LSU staff and working on the 2026 recruiting class, trying to quickly retool LSU into a perennial playoff contender.

• Early staff announcements show a heavy SEC flavor and significant NFL experience, signaling an all-in push to match LSU’s championship expectations as soon as possible.

• With a massive contract, a huge buyout just paid to Kelly, and an energized fan base, the Kiffin era is set up as a high-risk, high-reward chapter in LSU football, and 2026 will be watched closely to see if he can restore the Tigers to national-title form.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.