LSU has fired Brian Kelly in what felt like a situation that fell apart in a heartbeat. The angst of Tiger fans was on display Saturday as LSU was blown out in the second half by Texas A&M, dropping LSU to 5-3 on the season and essentially eliminating it from playoff contention.
There is a sense of irony that Kelly only lasted one week longer than the now former Florida coach Billy Napier. But the firing of Kelly means that Florida’s search for a new coach just got a lot more crowded.
LSU fires Brian Kelly
The annual Florida vs. LSU matchups over the past four years were seen as checkpoints for two programs that hired their coaches at the same time.
LSU had gone for the big-name hire, and Florida went for the up-and-coming G5 coach.
Neither panned out.
The issue for Florida is that LSU is likely to have many of the same names on its coaching hot board as the Gators. Pete Nakos of On3 dropped an initial list LSU is probably looking at, and it includes guys like Lane Kiffin, James Franklin, Eli Drinkwitz, and Jeff Brohm.
And unlike the debate between Florida and Ole Miss fans currently underway, the Gators do not have a clear program advantage over LSU. If anything, LSU gets the advantage of the most home night games in the SEC, and they are unimpeded when it comes to landing in-state talent.
The upside for Florida is that LSU owes double the buyout that the Gators owe, though LSU also has provisions in its contract with Kelly that can reduce the buyout significantly.
We meet again
Florida and LSU went through this back in 2021. LSU shunned Napier even though he was just 70 minutes down the road in Lafayette.
But the threat of LSU poaching Napier is part of what drove up his contract, which is part of what kept Napier around longer than he should.
So expect some sort of bidding war to brew as Florida and LSU are bound to cross paths once again in the search for a new coach.