The LSU Tigers have had enough of the Brian Kelly experience. The head coach was dismissed on Sunday night after losing three of his last four games in SEC play. That decision was made despite Kelly commanding a reported buyout of more than $50 million. It's the reality of coaching at a program that expects to be competing for national titles. A sizable buyout is no barrier when all that matters is winning.
LSU's opening instantly becomes one of the most attractive in college football. They're an elite level program with resources and expectations in equal measure. The next head coach will inherit talent. They shouldn't expect patience.
Athletic director Scott Woodward has a massive search on his hands to find the man capable of dealing with the pressure of coaching at LSU. Who is the ideal candidate?
Louisville's Jeff Brohm and Vanderbilt's Clark Lea are sure to come up in conversations around the LSU job. If the Tigers managed to pull off either of those hires I'd be highly impressed. But Brohm and Lea are alums of their current schools. It feels highly unlikely they'll jump ship.
P4 head coach to poach: Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss HC
Lane Kiffin is going to be one of the most popular names on the coaching rumor mill this year. No one believes he's going to ride with Ole Miss for the long term. The Rebels have a ceiling, and Kiffin might have already bumped up against it. He's managed to win 10 or more games in three of his five seasons in Oxford.
LSU would give him the chance to take the reins at an established winner with national title potential. He's already proven he can win in the SEC. He won't have the culture shock that got the best of Brian Kelly. Of the realistically available, established Power Four head coaches out there, Kiffin is far and away the most attractive.
The trouble is that Kiffin is a hot commodity. Ole Miss will do everything they can to keep him. Others will be in on the bidding war as more positions open up. But few schools can wield the kind of power LSU can in terms of money and potential.
Assistant to take the next step: Buster Faulkner, Georgia Tech OC
Buster Faulkner is becoming a hot name as well after engineering Georgia Tech's formidable rushing offense since 2023. Before that, he spent three seasons working on Kirby Smart's staff at Georgia. The Smart coaching tree has produced several consistent winners, including Dan Lanning of Oregon, Shane Beamer of South Carolina and Fran Brown of Syracuse. It feels like a smart play to reach for another branch from that tree (truly, no pun intended). Those coaches have seen national championship-level success up close. It matters.
Faulkner is a strong play designer and capable play caller. He's doing that with Georgia Tech talent. Giving him LSU-level talent would be very fun.
G5 coach to elevate: Jon Sumrall, Tulane HC
A whole lot of schools are kicking themselves right now for not jumping at the chance to hire Curt Cignetti. Indiana took that swing and it has paid off in spades. Tulane's Jon Sumrall isn't quite the same bet. He hasn't been a head coach as long so his "google me, I win" declaration would return a much shorter résumé of winning. Still, Sumrall does plenty of winning. He was 23-4 in two seasons with Troy. He was 9-5 with Tulane last year and he has them 6-1 this year.
Sumrall is already familiar with Louisiana recruiting. He's the natural culture fit that Brian Kelly wasn't. LSU will have to put aside their pride to poach the head coach of their "little brother," but pride is a sin for a reason. If Sumrall coaching at Tulane is the reason not to pursue him, then the Tigers are doomed anyways.
Wildcard: James Franklin, former Penn State HC
Okay, I'm a certified James Franklin hater. I've been calling him the most overrated coach in college football for ages. So I'm not saying this would be the most exciting hire, but LSU could certainly do worse. Franklin wins consistently. Most coaches can't string together 10-win seasons like he did at Penn State. And most coaches can't produce winning records at Vanderbilt. Franklin did that. His clock came up in Happy Valley, but learning from that experience could be what propels him to the next level. Failure is the greatest teacher after all.
Kiffin is only an attractive coaching because he rehabbed his image after shaky stints with Tennessee and USC. He's now 50 and coming closer to reaching his coaching potential. Franklin is 53. He's young enough to take his Penn State experience and spin it into his next era as a head coach.