Brian Kelly’s Worst 5 Losses at LSU
Summary
This season has seen unprecedented spending on college football coach buyouts, with LSU’s Brian Kelly being the latest recipient. Following a loss to Texas A&M, boosters and even the state’s governor reportedly helped fund his buyout, which is over $50 million. Kelly was hired in 2021 with a significant raise and resources but was dismissed after nearly four seasons.
During his tenure, LSU had a 34-14 record but consistently fell short of championship expectations. The team lost multiple SEC games each season and failed to seriously contend for a national title. His time was also marked by several high-profile, lopsided losses to rivals, and he ultimately never won over the fanbase, leading to his expensive departure.
More money has been spent on buyouts for college football coaches this season than in any previous season, and we are still in October. Brian Kelly was the latest coach to receive a golden parachute of generational wealth after LSU was dominated at home by Texas A&M on Saturday night. Reportedly, boosters met throughout the day to pass the hat for Kelly’s buyout, and even Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry got involved in the process.
Kelly was poached from Notre Dame by AD Scott Woodward in November 2021. The long-time FIghting Irish head coach replaced Ed Orgeron, and he was given a mountain of cash and a bevy of resources. According to USA Today’s Coaching Salary Database, Kelly made $2.67 million in his final season with Notre Dame. He made at least $9.8 million every season during his time in Baton Rouge, and he is still owed the second biggest buyout (north of $50 million) in college football history.
While hiring Kelly proved to be an expensive mistake, he wasn’t a total train wreck during his nearly four seasons at LSU. The Tigers went 34-14 under his watch, and they won 10 games in each of his first two seasons. However, LSU lost multiple games against SEC foes every season and finished with a conference record of 19-10.
For a broader look at LSU’s trajectory and other SEC shakeups, the college football news section at BetOnline offers weekly insights and analysis on coaching trends, rankings, and betting fallout. With that in mind, let’s take a look at Kelly’s worst five losses as head coach of the LSU Tigers.
No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers 40, No. 25 LSU Tigers 13 (October 8, 2022)
This was Brian Kelly’s first SEC loss, and it was a doozy. LSU was just a field goal underdog per the college football betting odds coming into this game, but the Bayou Bengals looked clearly overmatched against the Tennessee Volunteers. Tennessee scored the first 20 points in this game and racked up over 500 total yards of offense against LSU, leading to most of the home crowd leaving the stadium before the final whistle.
LSU sees itself as a better program than Tennessee, so to lose this badly to a second-year head coach in Josh Heupel that had led his team to a 7-6 record in 2021 caused some early rumblings in Baton Rouge. The Tigers would go on to beat Ole Miss and Alabama at home to rise as high as No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
No. 8 Florida State Seminoles 45, No. 5 LSU Tigers 24 (September 3, 2023)
Expectations were high for Brian Kelly at the start of his second season in Baton Rouge. LSU was ranked No. 5 in the Preseason AP Poll, and the Tigers were kicking off their season against Florida State on national television. Jayden Daniels would go on to lead the nation in total yards and set the single-season record for passer rating en route to winning the Heisman Trophy, but LSU lost a second straight season opener to FSU.
The Tigers took a 17-14 lead into halftime before the wheels came off in the second half. FSU scored 31 unanswered points to turn this game into a laugher, leading to a precipitous fall in the polls for the Tigers. If you’re tracking early-season upsets or watching how powerhouse programs respond after high-profile losses, the college football odds board at BetOnline is a great place to monitor futures and key matchups. Although Daniels would go on to hoist the Heisman Trophy, LSU would never climb higher than No. 12 the rest of the season, even though the Tigers lost just three games and all three opponents were ranked.
No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide 42, No. 15 LSU Tigers 13 (November 9, 2024)
This is when Brian Kelly’s boat started taking on water. LSU has used Alabama as a measuring stick for almost two decades. Former LSU coach Nick Saban took over Alabama in 2007, and he quickly made the Crimson Tide into a juggernaut. Saban went on to lead the Crimson Tide to six national titles (and eight straight wins over LSU), and that success particularly stung since Saban won his first national title with LSU in 2003 before heading to the NFL after the following season.
LSU was downright giddy when Saban announced his retirement, and the Tigers thought they could now be the dominant team in the former SEC West. However, new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer took the Crimson Tide into Baton Rouge and dominated from start to finish in a 29-point romp. Alabama was up 42-6 until LSU scored its first touchdown of the game with just 11 seconds to play.
Florida Gators 27, No. 22 LSU Tigers 16 (November 16, 2024)
Hot seat whispers were in the air after this game. This was LSU’s third straight loss by 10+ points, and while losses against Ole Miss and Alabama can be excused to an extent, the same could not be said about a loss to a Florida team that came into this game with a 4-5 record and starting a freshman quarterback.
Brian Kelly lost his cool on the sidelines during this game, screaming at multiple players. That was not a good look considering how combative he was during his time in Baton Rouge to anyone that drew his ire. The Tigers did finish the season with three straight wins to post a 9-4 record, but LSU finished the season unranked for the first time in Kelly’s tenure.
No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies 49, No. 20 LSU Tigers 25 (October 25, 2025)
Many experts picked LSU to upset Texas A&M here. This game was being played on Saturday night in Death Valley, so the Aggies were favored by less than a field goal per the CFB betting odds. That upset pick looked solid at halftime with LSU leading 18-14 thanks to two interceptions and a safety that led to 11 2nd quarter points for the Tigers.
Then, the second half started. Texas A&M scored 35 unanswered points to turn this into a laugher, and LSU’s offense completely fizzled out in the second half. The Tigers ran 20 plays for just 24 yards on their first five possessions of the second half before a meaningless touchdown near the end of regulation. The offensive ineptitude called Brian Kelly’s reputation as a quarterback guru into question once again as Garrett Nussmeier has struggled mightily despite the preseason hype surrounding him.
Conclusion
The biggest problems for Kelly were that he never brought LSU into real contention for a national championship (much less won one) unlike his predecessors Les Miles and Ed Orgeron, and he never endeared himself to the fanbase like those two coaches. If he could have done one of those two things, he likely would have been given at least one more season to figure things out.
