Lane Kiffin, LSU's Top HC Targets After Brian Kelly Fired amid Contract Buyout Buzz

The LSU Tigers fired head coach Brian Kelly on Sunday, ending his four-year tenure at the school.

It was mostly a disappointing era for LSU football, which went 34-14 on his watch and never won an SEC title or reached the College Football Playoffs.

The Tigers now join a number of prominent schools with a head-coaching vacancy, most notably Penn State and Florida. But LSU is arguably the most enticing job opening on the market, leading to the inevitable question—who makes the most sense as a potential replacement in Baton Rouge?

Let's break it down.

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss

Lane Kiffin is going to be the top name on most of these lists, given the success he's having at Ole Miss (51-19 overall, 7-1 this season).

It's no secret that Florida has eyes for him, though there's an argument to be made that simply staying at Ole Miss is the best option for Kiffin.

If he leaves, however, LSU is probably going to be his best option given their resources, history and the fact that the Tigers don't have the same level of in-state recruiting competition that Florida has in Florida State and Miami. Consider Kiffin the frontrunner, at least from LSU's perspective.

Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame

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If LSU poaches a second straight coach from Notre Dame, South Bend might stage a bayou invasion. There aren't many job openings more high-profile than Notre Dame, but LSU is one of them.

At 39, Marcus Freeman is one of the most distinguished young coaches in the sport, already leading the Fighting Irish to the College Football Playoff Championship Game. Any prominent school with an opening should be inquiring.

But Freeman doesn't have SEC roots, and he's got a pretty good thing going at Notre Dame. This would be a huge splash, but it feels less likely than Kiffin jumping ship.

Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri

Since 2023, Eli Drinkwitz has led Missouri to a 27-7 record and a pair of bowl wins, a nice run for a school that has generally struggled since joining the SEC outside of the early Gary Pinkel days.

Kiffin is going to be the SEC head coach who earns more attention this coaching cycle, but Drinkwitz has proven he can turn around a non-power school in the sport's most competitive conference, and has plenty of experience within the SEC. He's a name to watch.

Jon Sumrall, Tulane

Jon Sumrall doesn't have experience leading a Power 4 program, but he has had a ton of success at both Troy (23-4 in two seasons) and Tulane (15-6 in two seasons) as a head coach. He's one of the hot, up-and-coming names in the coaching ranks and probably will be hired to a prominent program in the next year or two.

LSU would be gambling on him being able to handle the pressure that comes from leading an LSU contender, but the best hires aren't always the expected or splashiest ones. That whole Kelly move didn't work out, after all.

Other Names to Consider

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Dan Lanning, Oregon; Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator; James Franklin, formerly Penn State; Brent Key, Georgia Tech; Clark Lea, Vanderbilt; Jeff Brohm, Louisville; Deion Sanders, Colorado