Brian Kelly's Top Landing Spots After Being Fired by LSU
Brian Kelly is out at LSU.
The school announced Sunday that it has fired its head coach after a 5-3 start to the season. Kelly was in his fourth season with the Tigers.
With Kelly now looking for his next job, here are a couple of potential landing spots for the two-time Coach of the Year.
UCLA
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UCLA fired head coach DeShaun Foster in September after a 0-3 start, and the Bruins are now looking for a coach who can help turn things around.
Kelly might be the person for the job.
While Kelly has his flaws, he's done well in getting programs back on track after years of struggle. He inherited a Notre Dame team that had gone 6-6 in the year prior, and the Fighting Irish were playing for a national championship two years later.
LSU had gone 5-5 and 6-7 in the years prior to Kelly's arrival, and he quickly brought the Tigers back to life with back-to-back 10-win seasons.
The Bruins need reviving, and Kelly should be in the mix for the job.
Stanford
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Much like UCLA, Stanford needs an experienced coach to pull it out of the weeds.
The Cardinal haven't had a winning season since 2018 and are currently in a transition period with Frank Reich serving as the interim head coach after Troy Taylor'sย firingย in March. Stanford is far from the most appealing job in college football right now, but it could be a great place for Kelly to hit the reset button and return to being one of the top coaches in college football.
Arkansas
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In many ways, Arkansas is a slightly easier version of what Kelly had at LSU.
Should he take over as the Razorbacks' head coach, he would still have the prestige and competition that come with coaching in the SEC, but with far fewer expectations since Arkansas hasn't been a national contender this century.
Kelly might want to get away from the SEC for a while, but if not, Arkansas could be the best job for him.
Oklahoma State
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Oklahoma Stateย moved onย from Mike Gundy this season after two decades at the helm.
Whoever the Cowboys hire will feel like a major change, but hiring a coach like Kelly could make for a smoother transition. Oklahoma State needs a veteran to help it navigate a world without Gundy, and that's exactly what Kelly would be.
One hurdle in getting Kelly to Stillwater is Oklahoma State's NIL spending. Gundyย shared his frustrationsย about the Cowboys' small budget for roster spending, and that might be a deterrent for Kellyโor any other top coach this cycle.
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