Five candidates to replace Brian Kelly as LSU's head coach

LSU's Brian Kelly became the latest head coach to get fired in what could be a historic year for total buyouts among coaches in the sport.

The Tigers got blown out at home by No. 3 Texas A&M in Week 9. It was the second straight loss for LSU, which fell to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in Southeastern Conference play.

On Sunday, LSU leaders parted ways with Kelly, who went 34-14 overall with the Tigers across four seasons. LSU officials named associate head coach/running backs coach Frank Wilson as the team's interim head coach for the remainder of this campaign.

According to USA Today, Kelly has a buyout of $53.29M, although it remains to be seen if that's the total amount he ends up receiving.

Five candidates to replace Brian Kelly at LSU

Jeff Brohm, head coach at Louisville
Brohm has the No. 16 Cardinals (6-1 overall, 3-1 in the ACC) positioned as one of the top teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Under his guidance, Louisville is an impressive 25–9 overall over the past three seasons. Throughout his collegiate head coaching career, Brohm has a 91–53 record. He was previously the head coach at Western Kentucky and Purdue.

Eli Drinkwitz, head coach at Missouri
While Missouri isn't a Southeastern Conference powerhouse, Drinkwitz has led the Tigers to back-to-back seasons of at least 10 wins, and the program was No. 8 nationally in 2023. He's 44–26 overall at Missouri and also led Appalachian State to a 12–1 mark in 2019. Although the Tigers lost to Vanderbilt in Week 9 by a touchdown, Missouri (6-2 overall, 2-2 in the SEC) is still No. 19 in the latest Associated Press top 25.

James Franklin, former head coach at Penn State
The Nittany Lions parted ways with Franklin in October, and he should have numerous offers this offseason amid a frenetic head coaching carousel. Franklin went 104–45 at Penn State, and the team made the College Football Playoff semifinal a year ago. Before joining the Nittany Lions, Franklin led Vanderbilt, another SEC school, to a 24–15 record over three seasons.

Marcus Freeman, head coach at Notre Dame
Freeman's name is coming up a lot regarding head coaching vacancies at big-time schools such as Penn State, Florida and now LSU, among others. However, just because programs might have any interest in Freeman, that doesn't mean he's got any interest in leaving the Fighting Irish. This season, Notre Dame has won five straight to get 5-2 overall, and is ranked No. 12 in the major top-25 polls. Now in his fourth full campaign, Freeman is 38–12 overall. Notre Dame reached last season's CFP title game.

Lane Kiffin, head coach at Ole Miss
Based on what analysts are saying, Kiffin could be the most sought-after head coach in the current carousel. Ole Miss, after winning at Oklahoma in Week 9, is No. 7 nationally, 7-1 overall and 4-1 in SEC contests. Give the Rebels' remaining schedule, Ole Miss has a great shot to reach the 12-team CFP. Kiffin is 113–53 as a college head coach, and he led Tennessee for a season and also served as Alabama's offensive coordinator from 2014-16.