LSU Fires Brian Kelly, Presidential Search Advances

LSU fired head coach Brian Kelly after a 5–3 start and a 49–25 loss to Texas A&M, naming Frank Wilson interim and triggering a reported $50+ million buyout. Athletic director Scott Woodward is weighing replacements amid an intensified midseason coaching carousel that has followed other SEC changes, with reported candidates including Lane Kiffin, Joe Brady, James Franklin, Jon Sumrall and Marcus Freeman. Insiders say Kelly’s dismissal reflected cultural and fit issues — including recruiting posture, NIL stance and staff turnover — as much as on-field results. Separately, LSU’s presidential search added Alabama executive vice president and provost James Dalton to its interview list; Dalton and four other candidates will be interviewed and finalists will be sent to the LSU Board of Supervisors for its Nov. 4 meeting, with campus town halls scheduled Oct. 30–31 and Nov. 3. Despite the upheaval, LSU’s recruiting and roster remain relatively strong, with three-star WR Kervin Johnson Jr. recently added and the interim staff working to retain commits.