As former head football coach Brian Kelly exited Death Valley last Saturday night, no one truly knew that that losing game would be the final straw for his career with LSU.
Sure, the thought likely crossed some fans’ minds as they trekked home following the Tigers’ 49-25 fall to Texas A&M but when Kelly’s official release made news the following night, some students within the Baton Rouge community had mixed feelings on the announcement.
“I feel like the most surprising part about it was the timing,” LSU nutrition and food sciences sophomore Zach Cryer said. “You know, I just didn’t expect Brian Kelly to be fired halfway through the season.”
Referring to the fact that Kelly’s termination was decided on with four games remaining in the regular season, Cryer acknowledged that LSU’s athletic department engaged in decision making that the public wasn’t aware of, which ultimately ended in Kelly being let go before even reaching the halfway point of his 10 year contract.
“I do believe that he’s a phenomenal football coach, he showed it at Notre Dame and was voted coach of the year twice,” Cryer said. “My opinion of Brian Kelly at LSU, though, is that I just don’t believe that this was ever the right fit for him as a coach, because LSU is a tough job.”
With LSU’s football program carrying a large reputation on its shoulders, Tiger fans have come to expect a “specific archetype” in both coaching and cultural connections to Louisiana.
Echoing that idea is LSU computer science junior Kent Smith, who told the Reveille he had nothing but “pure excitement” at the news of Kelly’s release.
“I would say I was really excited,” Smith said. “Maybe because I feel like he just wasn’t a good fit, not only for LSU, but also Louisiana culture in general.”
Smith credited Kelly for the work he put into his first two seasons with LSU, where he lost only seven games across 27 and coached Heismann-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels.
In regards to the remainder of this season, Smith said that the program will “inevitably” face negativity.
“Once you switch things out at the last second, it’s kind of going to mess up something that’s been built since January of this year,” Smith said. “I think having him stay for the rest of the year would be the best thing for the short term, but in the long term, they should have obviously fired him at the end of the season.”
When looking at LSU football in the long run, students were also asked who they would like to see brought on as the program’s new head coach and what qualities they’re looking for.
“The important thing as a coach is taking care of your players first,” BRCC film and television freshman Emily Yoblanksy said. “I feel like we need a coach who can take care of tough love but also have the ability to treat the players as if they’re his own kids.”
Yoblanksy said that she would love to see Louisiana legend Terry Bradshaw come out of his retirement to take on this position, but also acknowledged the unlikeliness of that happening given the duration of his retirement.
Another retired coach that was spoken about was a name college football and SEC fans know all too well — Nick Saban.
“I know the pipe dream is Nick Saban, yeah, that would be amazing,” Cryer said. “He was able to do it before, and I know that that’s the kind of move that we’re going to have to make to get NIL talent or talent in the transfer portal and recruiting.”
Cryer also made note of Ole Miss’ head football coach Lane Kiffin.
“We’re definitely one of the more aggressive fan bases in the SEC, so I think he would fit in perfectly with his mindset,” he said.
Smith, on the other hand, brought up Notre Dame’s head football coach Marcus Freeman, although also prefaced the fact that he wasn’t sure LSU’s program would actually get the chance to offer him a position.
“I think LSU kind of needs a younger, caring guy,” Smith said. “Brian Kelly didn’t seem to have the same level of empathy towards his players, but this guy [Freeman], he really does care about the people that he’s coaching.”
While the future of LSU’s football program has yet to be decided beyond this season’s interim head coach Frank Wilson, students across Baton Rouge are certainly reeling and processing from Kelly’s release as much as any Tiger fan and are sitting on the edge of their seats for any new developments.
