By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
The LSU Board of Supervisors approved a motion on Friday in executive session to continue to try to negotiate apparently-fired-without-cause football coach Brian Kelly’s $54 million buyout that is owed to him, according to his contract if fired without cause.
Will the $54 million question about fired coach Brian Kelly – without cause – be answered Friday at special LSU Board of Supervisors meeting just called?https://t.co/k3eihc704H
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) November 20, 2025
Kelly was clearly fired without cause last Oct. 26 by then-athletic director Scott Woodward four years into a 10-year, $100 million contract after a 49-25 loss to Texas A&M the previous night that knocked him out of the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
“When Coach Kelly arrived at LSU four years ago, we had high hopes that he would lead us to multiple SEC and national championships during his time in Baton Rouge. Ultimately, the success at the level that LSU demands simply did not materialize, and I made the decision to make a change after last night’s game,” Woodward said in an LSU release on Oct. 26, clearly spelling out a firing without cause via not winning enough.
LSU never won an SEC championship and played in the SEC championship game only in Kelly’s first season in 2022. And LSU never threatened to make the playoffs going into the final weeks of any season under Kelly.
Firings of coaches without cause usually means the coach gets all of his buyout, or close to it.
“We will continue to negotiate his separation and will work toward a path that is better for both parties,” Woodward added in the release, a statement that might be said with regard to a firing with cause, as in breaking terms of a contract.
But four days later, LSU’s Board fired Woodward and has since said Woodward was not authorized to fire Kelly, although he had freely hired and fired other coaches while LSU’s athletic director since 2019, including previous football coach Ed Orgeron in 2021.
Then on Monday, Nov. 10, Kelly and his lead attorney Bennett Speyer of Toledo, Ohio, filed a lawsuit against LSU seeking Kelly’s full, $54 million buyout. The suit filed in the 19th Judicial District of East Baton Rouge Parish came after LSU attorneys let pass a 5 p.m. deadline on Nov. 10 submitted by Kelly and his representation requesting LSU confirm it will “fulfill its contractual obligation” to pay the entire buyout to Kelly for his without-cause firing.
Kelly turned down settlement offers by LSU of $25 million, then $30 million. LSU not answering that request on Nov. 10 by 5 p.m. meant LSU doesn’t wish to pay the full buyout, and it then changed its story midstream and said it wanted to fire Kelly with cause. On Friday, it carried on with that argument.
Lane Train appears bound for LSU, but he’s not in the station just yet. Meanwhile, Ole Miss “deadline” for Kiffin’s decision extended.https://t.co/JVhoeTpHgF
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) November 21, 2025
While new LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry and a search committee were trying to negotiate Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin into being LSU’s new football coach on Friday with a $90 million package over seven years and a $25 million reserve for NIL, LSU’s Board – two members of which are on that search committee – is still busy with the previous coach.
Meanwhile in Oxford, Mississippi, Kiffin met with Ole Miss athletic director Scott Carter with Carter hoping that Kiffin has made a decision to stay at Ole Miss or leave for either LSU or Florida. But Kiffin has all the leverage.
So, what will Ole Miss do if Lane Kiffin doesn’t meet this supposed deadline that Ole Miss says it has for a decision? … Fire him? … LOL … This is Lane’s World. We’re all just passengers. Column:https://t.co/v1rlNTPwKv
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) November 18, 2025
Because he is Ole Miss’ most successful coach since Johnny Vaught in the 1950s and ’60s and has the Rebels ranked No. 6 now at 10-1 on the season and on the verge of their first College Football Playoff in history. Before Kiffin, Ole Miss never came close to a national championship through any playoff or bowl system in 65 years since winning the Football Writers Association of America national championship in 1960 under Vaught.
The next best thing to Nick Saban available – Lane Kiffin – is coming to LSU, if Nick Saban has his way.https://t.co/TaBuardbYF
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) November 17, 2025
A motion by the LSU Board Friday “to authorize” new LSU president Wade Rousse “in consultation with then general counsel (LSU lawyers) to review and, if appropriate, send Brian Kelly written notice of termination under his employment agreement” was approved at the meeting.
“We just gave the authority to the president to terminate him,” LSU board member and athletic chairman John Carmouche, an attorney, told reporters after the meeting about a coach actually fired nearly a month ago. Carmouche is on the search committee to find the new coach.
In a statement, #LSU says firing a coach who makes more than $250k requires board approval. Historically, this has not been enforced. Joe Sloan was fired shortly after Brian Kelly, but the board took no action on him. Is he officially fired? Again, more questions than answers. https://t.co/gb8HqMS569 pic.twitter.com/w14rQdgOUE
— Piper Hutchinson (@ByPiperHutch) November 21, 2025
What LSU’s Board could also be trying to do is wrestle power away from the LSU athletic department and imperial athletic directors like Woodward.
Woodward’s wayward and wild spending, particularly with Kelly’s contract, was disapproved of by several LSU powers that be – not just Governor Jeff Landry, who called Woodward’s contract to Kelly “terrible” the day before Woodward was fired. Landry had also suggested to Board members on Oct. 26 that Woodward be fired.
Still no comment from LSU or AD Scott Woodward on Governor Jeff Landry’s bombshell on Wednesday: “No, I can tell you right now Scott Woodward will not be selecting the next coach. Hell, I’ll let Donald Trump select him before I let him do it.” https://t.co/HQfpbWjFpI
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) October 30, 2025
Asked if that “written notice of termination” would be of a firing with cause, Carmouche said, “The president will make that decision.”
A with-cause firing would mean LSU would legally have a better chance to negotiate the buyout down.
The terms of the buyout and whether Kelly was fired with cause or without cause “is in litigation,” Carmouche said.
A university media relations release later Friday tried to explain what the Board did Friday.
“Under Article VII, Section 1(L)(3) of the Board of Supervisors bylaws, any personnel action relating to varsity athletics coaches with a salary over $250,000 requires board approval. In today’s meeting, the Board voted to delegate the authority to President Rousse to review and, if appropriate, send a notice of termination to Brian Kelly,” the statement said.
A Tiger Rag source further tried to explain the Board’s action on Friday.
“The board was informed by Attorney General Liz Murrill that Brian Kelly is still LSU’s coach,” the source said. “Lane Kiffin can’t be hired until Kelly is officially out.”
Never mind that Kelly has not coached LSU’s two games since his firing on Oct. 26 and has not been seen anywhere on campus.
Dozens of college football coaches are fired every year. Only LSU is trying to fire a coach twice.
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