LSU and former head coach Brian Kelly are in the midst of a nasty divorce.
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The Tigers fired Kelly on Oct. 26 following a 49-25 loss to No. 3 Texas A&M in Week 9. However, the school is claiming it never “formally terminated” the head coach, per ESPN. LSU is seeking to fire Kelly “for cause” as the two parties figure out a nearly $54 million buyout situation.
Amid the buyout battle, Kelly appears ready to jump back into the coaching carousel.
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During an episode of CBS Sports’ “College Football Insiders” on Monday, Chris Hummer suggested he’s hearing plenty of chatter about Kelly going to Michigan State.
“There’s a lot of rumors this time of year, but the only job that I’ve actually heard connected to Brian Kelly, like in terms of ‘That might interest Brian Kelly’, is Michigan State,” Hummer said. “That’s in terms of a job he’d be actually interested in. That’s something to watch if Michigan State does come open.”
The Spartans have not fired head coach Jonathan Smith, though the 46-year-old finds himself on the hot seat before the program’s final three games of the regular season. MSU is 3-6 and needs to win out to make a bowl game.
Smith is 8-13 overall and 3-12 in Big Ten play in his second season with the Spartans.
Michigan State makes logical sense as a destination for Kelly. He spent his entire head coaching career in the Midwest (Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati and Notre Dame) before heading down south to coach LSU.
Following his flameout in the SEC, Kelly might consider going back to more familiar and friendly territory.
Kelly is 297-109-2 all-time as a head coach at the college level. He led Notre Dame to two appearances in the College Football Playoff (2018, 2020). He’d be an intriguing hire for MSU, a Big Ten program looking to return to the CFP for the first time since 2015.
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