Louisiana State University head coach Brian Kelly is eying a potential contract buyout of $54 million after the school fired him last weekend, according to reports.
The Tigers announced that Kelly was out after Saturday’s 49-25 loss to Texas A&M, LSU’s third loss out of four games.
The coach and the school are still negotiating an exit package, but insiders say the coach is expecting a very lucrative agreement, according to Fox Sports.
Kelly was only in his fourth year of a ten-year, $100 million contract. He signed a $95 million salary deal with 90 percent guaranteed.
The media is reporting that during his meeting with LSU athletic director Scott Woodward, Kelly broached his suggestion of a $54 million exit deal.
Woodward also reportedly insisted that offensive coordinator Joe Sloan also face the ax, but Kelley is said to have pushed back on that plan.
Despite the dismal record, Kelly defended his work at LSU.
“It’s impossible for the head coach that’s been here for four years and 35 years of doing this, to think anything [but keep coaching],” he said, according to the New York Post. “That’s not my decision in terms of whether I’m here or not, but that’s what I will do.”
But that attention has not seemed to help the team overmuch. LSU sits at 5-3 on the year and 2-3 in SEC play. Last year, the Tigers finished with 9-4, with several of those losses in double digits. So far during his tenure, Kelly is 34-14 and has won the SEC West Division title only once, in his first season in 2022.
“When Coach Kelly arrived at LSU four years ago, we had high hopes that he would lead us to multiple SEC and national championships during his time in Baton Rouge,” Woodward said, the paper reported. “Ultimately, the success at the level that LSU demands simply did not materialize, and I made the decision to make a change after last night’s game.”
Woodward added, “As a proud alum and as the current caretaker of our athletics programs, I will not compromise in our pursuit of excellence, and we will not lower our standards.”
If Kelly gets his deal, he will have bested the recent $49 million payout that fired head coach James Franklin achieved when Penn State dumped him only a week ago.
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