By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
In the end, LSU football coach Brian Kelly lost his two final games, but he never stopped trying to win.
“Coach Kelly didn’t give up. He was trying his hardest to the end, and we were trying,” an LSU football player told Tiger Rag Sunday night after a team meeting with Kelly that was followed by a meeting with interim coach Frank Wilson.
Brian Kelly has arrived back at the facility for the 8 pm team meeting. pic.twitter.com/dHjF0jtrMP
— Andre Champagne (@andrechampagnee) October 27, 2025
LSU athletic director Scott Woodward fired Kelly on Sunday after the Tigers lost their second straight game to fall to 5-3 on the season (2-3 SEC) to No. 3 Texas A&M, 49-25, in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night. Kelly turned 64 on Saturday.
Woodward said Sunday night he would immediately begin a national search for a new coach.
Should Scott Woodward really be allowed to hire LSU’s next football coach, considering his track record in that sport? Column:https://t.co/cSU7rTItlS
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) October 18, 2025
“He ain’t on the field. We’re on the field,” the player, who asked not to be identified, said of Kelly. ”He said he wishes he could be with us for the remainder of the season.”
LSU has an open date this week before playing at No. 4 Alabama (7-1, 5-0 SEC) on Saturday, Nov. 8.
Brian Kelly has been fired by LSU, but in his mind, the $52 million buyout is not negotiable.https://t.co/ncaaS9smm0
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) October 27, 2025
“He was like, ‘We were really close to putting it all together,’” the player said. “And like I said, he wishes he could be here with us.”
Kelly was 10-4 overall and 6-2 in the SEC in his first season at LSU in 2022 and won the SEC West to reach the SEC Championship Game after leaving Notre Dame’s head coaching job. He also beat Alabama and coach Nick Saban for the Tigers’ first win over Alabama since 2019.
All that after inheriting just 39 scholarship players from LSU’ 2021 team under coach Ed Orgeron that finished 6-7 – the Tigers’ first losing season since 1999. LSU was 5-5 in 2020 after winning the national championship at 15-0 in 2019.
LSU went 10-3 and 6-2 in 2023 behind quarterback Jayden Daniels, who won the Heisman Trophy and directed one of the best offenses in LSU history. The Tigers struggled on offense and defense in 2024 and finished 9-4 and 5-3 before this season when it struggled on both fronts again. Kelly never took LSU to the College Football Playoff, which expanded to 12 teams last season.
“He was just saying it was good to be a part of it,” the player said.
The players met with Kelly Sunday night. Kelly arrived at 7:56 p.m. He left shortly after 8 p.m.
And just like that, Kelly is leaving football ops for the last time. #LSU pic.twitter.com/y8K8dAPmqJ
— Andre Champagne (@andrechampagnee) October 27, 2025
Wilson, who has been LSU’s associate head coach since 2022 under Kelly, followed and tried to rally the team.
#LSU players leaving ops after the team meeting lasted until 8:11 p.m. @TigerRagMedia pic.twitter.com/5ZlgzMBQyc
— Andre Champagne (@andrechampagnee) October 27, 2025
“He said, ‘We can either fold or give it what we got,'” the player said. “Finish this thing 9-3 and surprise a lot of people. I feel like it’s kind of understood about none of us are trying to go out sad. We’re trying to finish strong. At the end of the day, it’s still LSU. It’s not really an excuse that your head coach got fired. You can’t just go out and lose every game.”
Be the first to comment