The Athletic has live updates on Brian Kelly’s firing at LSU.
After a disappointing 3 1/2 seasons, Brian Kelly is out at LSU, making an already hefty coaching carousel even more crammed. Before Kelly fizzled out in Baton Rouge, the previous three Tigers head coaches all won national titles there. It’s arguably an even bigger job than the Penn State and Florida vacancies, and the expectations are even loftier. LSU fired Ed Orgeron less than two years after he led the Tigers to a national title.
There aren’t expected to be a lot of big-name candidates available, especially ones who have won big in the SEC. Here’s a look at who could be a candidate to replace Kelly.
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin
Kiffin fits both categories, and he seemed to relish taking digs at Kelly whenever possible. Whether he is ready to leave Oxford, where his extended family has settled in nicely, is another matter. The 50-year-old has done an excellent job and has the No. 7 Rebels in prime position to get into the College Football Playoff for the first time. His Rebels have finished in the top 11 in three of the past four seasons and are on track to make it four times in five years. They’re 7-1 with their lone loss at Georgia. They responded by winning Saturday at No. 13 Oklahoma. Timing could be tricky with a potential extended Playoff run in play. Even trickier: Kiffin is expected to be one of the top targets for the UF vacancy in a state where he’s had a lot of success, winning two conference titles at Florida Atlantic.
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz
Drinkwitz is also expected to be in play. He’s proven to be a very good coach who can handle the spotlight. The 42-year-old Arkansas native has been terrific in six years at Missouri, going 27-7 over the past three seasons, which is very impressive when you consider that the Tigers have had only four top-15 seasons in almost 50 years. He’s also an excellent offensive coach at a program that has sputtered offensively this season. The No. 19 Tigers are 6-2 but are now down to their third-string QB.
Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham
Dillingham has wowed a lot of folks inside college football over the past year. The 35-year-old took a woeful Arizona State program and, by Year 2, got the Sun Devils into the Playoff and then almost knocked off Texas. They finished No. 7 in the nation, going 11-3. Not bad for a team that was picked to finish last in the Big 12. ASU is off to a 5-3 start this season. Dillingham is one of the more dynamic head coaches in the FBS. He’s energetic and creative, and it feels like he’s the anti-Brian Kelly. But he is coaching at his alma mater. Whether he’d leave that just as he’s got things rolling might not be a given, even for a job as big as LSU. Like Drinkwitz, Dillingham is one of the few coaches on this list who realistically isn’t expected to have the timing of the Playoff to navigate if the search heats up.
Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea
Lea is also working wonders at his alma mater. The 43-year-old from Nashville just beat LSU a few weeks ago and followed that up by beating Drinkwitz’s No. 15 Mizzou team Saturday to move to 7-1 and No. 9 in the rankings. Lea worked under Kelly at Notre Dame as the Irish defensive coordinator for three seasons. He’s smart and likely will get a lot of interest from some of these big vacancies this cycle. Timing, though, could be challenging for him as well since Vanderbilt has legitimate Playoff hopes.
Tulane coach Jon Sumrall
Sumrall is a former SEC linebacker who has coached at Kentucky and Ole Miss. People inside the sport felt the Alabama native was destined to be an excellent college head coach, and he’s wasted little time proving them right, first at Troy and now at Tulane, where he has the Green Wave in the running for a CFP spot. The 43-year-old is 38-10 as a head coach. Whether LSU brass would be comfortable hiring the coach from Tulane isn’t a given, but don’t be surprised if the Auburn job opens and that administration happily gives him the keys to its program.
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