
By the numbers, Brian Kelly is one heck of a college football coach. Yes, he was just fired by the LSU Tigers, but it wasn't because he couldn't win games.
Kelly's overall record as a head football coach at the DI level is 200-76. He took Notre Dame to the BCS Championship Game. At LSU, his overall record was 34-14. Winning hasn't been a problem for Kelly. Winning when it really matters, though, was a problem.
College football is a "what have you done for me lately?" business, and Kelly found that out when he received his pink slip from LSU this past weekend.
Another coach who finds himself on the hot seat in 2025 is Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers. LSU fired Kelly after a 5-3 start. Clemson is 3-4 this season with some really tough losses.
Swinney has won two championships for Clemson, but he's under fire because of how his program has underperformed this season as well as over the past few. You can hear it in his voice as he discussed Kelly's firing at LSU in a news conference on Tuesday.
“It’s a season of chaos, that’s for sure. It’s just the world we live in. It’s a crazy, crazy, crazy profession we signed up for,” Swinney said. “But, as I said last night, it’s hard. You’ve got a lot of really good football coaches that have won a lot of games, but they’re getting fired because they really haven’t won championships. And you’ve got others that want you fired even though you’ve won championships. So it’s kind of a crazy world. But it’s the world we live in. And, you know, it’s like a bloodsport."
Swinney's comments start around 23:12.
Swinney may not have said it outright, but that comment about coaches who people want to get fired despite the fact that they've won championships is an indication of where his mind is at regarding his own job.
There was a time when a championship win would essentially mean you're set for life as a college football coach. Nowadays, it may earn you an extra season or two of goodwill with your boosters and fan base.
Speaking of LSU, keep in mind that Ed Orgeron won a championship with the Tigers in 2019 and was fired 21 months later after going 11-11 after that title win.
Ryan Day won a national championship at Ohio State last season, but if he doesn't do it again in 2025, he'll be right back in the pressure cooker in Columbus.
That's just the way things are. Swinney may not like it, but he seemingly understands it. That may not be enough to ultimately save his job at Clemson, but at least he knows the reality he's dealing with, even as someone who put that program on the map.
“Everybody loves to see people get fired I guess. There’s a part of society that likes to see that stuff. But it just is what it is, man. It’s what we signed up for,” Swinney said. “You know, it’s all about the Playoff, and all that type of stuff. You’ve got to find a way to win, you don’t get much time anymore. … You’ve got to win quick.”
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