LSU head coach Brian Kelly is just in his fourth season with the Tigers. But following the Tigers' second loss of the season, at the hands of Vanderbilt, questions are beginning to swirl about his future in Baton Rouge.
Kelly has been at LSU for just four seasons. But the Tigers have won zero championships, so there are obvious questions about how much longer Tiger fans want this to continue.
With last Saturday's 31-24 loss to the Commodores, which marked the first victory for Vanderbilt since 1990 vs. LSU, let's take a look at how much it would cost LSU to fire Kelly.
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Brian Kelly contract details
When Brian Kelly was hired by LSU in late 2021, He signed a 10-year contract with the Tigers worth $95 million. His annual salary with LSU, according to USA Today, is $10,175,000. That makes Kelly the eighth highest-paid head coach in all of college football, behind the likes of Alabama's Kalen DeBoer and Oregon's Dan Lanning.
He is also eligible for an extra $1.325 million in bonuses this season. Kelly's contract includes various bonus incentives, such as an extra $75,000 to make it to the SEC title game, $500,000 to reach bowl eligibility and $100,000 for earning a spot in a New Year's Six Bowl.
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Brian Kelly buyout
Brian Kelly's contract states that the head coach will be owed 90 percent of his salary through what's left on his contract. Since he still has six more seasons remaining, that puts his buyout at $53,293,333, according to USA Today.
That's a hefty buyout, to say the least. But college football buyouts being high and paid are nothing new — Penn State gave James Franklin around $50 million after moving on from him earlier this month, and Florida gave Billy Napier $21 million in buyout money.
LSU takes on No. 4 Texas A&M on Saturday night, where the Tigers are slight 2.5-point underdogs.
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Brian Kelly coaching record
Brian Kelly is 34-13 over his four seasons with LSU. Since he got hired by the Tigers, he is just 5-10 in games against ranked opponents.
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