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ESPN Puts Brian Kelly On 'Hot Seat' Before Season Opener

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 5:48 PM ET

It only took one half of college football for ESPN to place a two-time AP Coach of the Year on the hot seat.

During ESPN's halftime coverage for the Iowa State-Kansas State game, Kevin Connors brought up LSU coach Brian Kelly and whether he's on the hot seat for the 2025 season. He's set to enter his fourth season in Baton Rouge with a career record of 292-107-2. The Tigers are currently 29-11 with him at the helm.

When LSU hired Kelly in 2022, the thought was that he'd immediately make the program a national title contender. Although that hasn't happened yet, his ceiling with the Tigers is incredibly high. In fact, his worst record so far came in 2024 when he went 9-4.

LSU is expected to be a contender this season, especially with Garrett Nussmeier back at quarterback. The NFL prospect completed 64.2% of his passes last season for 4,052 yards with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Despite all the hype surrounding LSU this summer, ESPN is legitimately debating if Kelly is on the hot seat.

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - SEPTEMBER 7: LSU Tigers Head Coach Brian Kelly looks up at the scoreboard during the game against the Nicholls State Colonels at LSU Tiger Stadium on September 7, 2024 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Gus Stark/LSU/University Images via Getty Images)Gus Stark/LSU/Getty Images

ESPN personalities are torn on Kelly's future.

Paul Finebaum made it clear that LSU's fan base won't tolerate another season without a trip to the College Football Playoff.

"I think the pressure is pretty enormous," Finebaum said. "Because that's a great passionate fan base, but they're not going to put up with another dismal season. They look at last year, and they don't like what they see. They don't like losing to Alabama badly at home. That really hurt. They don't like throwing games away. They had that game against Southern Cal wrapped up, and they couldn't hold on."

ESPN's Peter Burns and Chris Doering, however, believe it's unlikely LSU will move on from Kelly after the 2025 season. It all comes down to money.

"There is no way in hell that Brian Kelly is on the hot seat in 2025," Burns said, via Athlon Sports. "Unless LSU loses by 40 at Clemson and they go 5-7 and he is literally giving the middle finger to the fans in Tiger Stadium in the last couple of home games of the season, is Brian Kelly getting fired at LSU. They don't have the money to do it… The idea of Brian Kelly being on any type of hot seat is absolutely asinine.”

What's the buyout situation for Kelly?

LSU gave Kelly a 10-year, $95 million deal, so moving on from him would be incredibly expensive. Back in November 2024, Craig Meyer of USA Today broke down the financial implications of the Tigers making a coaching change.

"If Kelly is fired without cause on Dec. 1, he would be owed $61,738,333 based on the terms of the contract he signed on April 6, 2022," Meyer wrote. "In the event he’s fired without cause, Kelly is set to receive 90% of his remaining base salary and supplemental compensation that would have been made payable to him over the remainder of his contract, which runs through Dec. 31, 2031 – as well as any prorated longevity compensation for the year of termination."

Suffice to say, LSU won't move on from Kelly unless he goes well below .500 this season. And judging by his history, that isn't going to happen.

LSU will begin its season on Aug. 30 against Clemson. That could end up being a CFP preview.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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