As the LSU Tigers football program navigates an already tumultuous search for a new head coach, former players and staffers are coming out of the woodwork to shed light on the Brian Kelly era.
LSU fired Kelly, 64, on October 26, the day after a home loss to Texas A&M, which dropped the Tigers to 5-3 on the season with a 2-3 record in the Southeastern Conference. Over the past week, The Athletic has spoken to those around the program, many of whom painted Kelly as aloof and disinterested in getting to know his players personally.
“You gotta come a different way with your players,” former Tigers player Charles Turner told the outlet in a story published Friday, October 31. “You have to let your players know that you really got ’em.”
The pattern allegedly dates back to Kelly’s time at Notre Dame, where he coached from 2010 to 2021.
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“I never saw the guy,” a former Fighting Irish staffer said, adding that the head coach did not try to create a “family atmosphere” around the program.
Other staffers alleged that Kelly’s behavior impacted their ability to recruit, with one saying that other schools would tell players, “He’ll never talk to you guys. He doesn’t even know the players’ names.”
Another recalled a moment where Kelly refused to speak to a recruit that was already on the phone.
“At one point, I brought my phone over to him and said, ‘Coach, I need you to talk to this kid,’” the staffer said. “He goes, ‘Make an appointment.’ I said, ‘An appointment? I got him on the phone right now. What are you talking about?’”
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Multiple LSU staffers told The Athletic that Kelly was not invested in the program the way a head coach should be — especially frustrating considering his 10-year contract with the university, worth $95 million.
“I don’t want to dance on his grave, like I see a lot of people doing, but you could almost tell that he cashed out here,” a staffer said.
“The effort just is not there,” echoed another, “especially for what this place is and compared to what we’re competing against. We always had to recruit around him.”
The Athletic’s story comes days after Kyren Lacy’s parents offered differing accounts on Kelly’s response to their son’s death. Kyren died by suicide in April at age 24.
“I didn’t even get a call or text from [Brian Kelly]. Must be nice to get paid millions to get your walking papers.. Let’s get it coach Frank,” Kyren’s father, Kenny, wrote via Facebook on Monday, October 27, referring to LSU interim head coach Frank Wilson.
Kyren’s mother, Kandace Washington, disputed that, insisting that she spoke to Kelly multiple times.
“I can only speak for myself, my sons, and my family — but Coach Brian Kelly absolutely called me after Kyren passed, and we spoke more than once,” she wrote via Instagram on Monday. “Coach Sloan met with me as well, along with much of the LSU staff. Coach Kelly even spoke beautifully at Kyren’s funeral, honoring his life and the impact he made on and off the field. The LSU coaches, staff, players and community have shown our family nothing but love and support.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Kelly’s team for comment regarding his response to Kyren’s death.
