LSU Football: Inside The Hefty Price Tag Of Firing LSU’s Coach Kelly

After another loss, LSU football fans are scrambling for an exit plan on the Brian Kelly era. Which is pretty wild for fans of other programs to understand, and is going to be really hard for financial planners to wrap their heads around too.

When LSU brought in Brian Kelly, they made a massive financial bet, and the real story is buried in the buyout clause.

If LSU actually decides that the fans are right, and its time to move on from Brian Kelly as the Head Coach of the football program, it could make hiring his replacement tough. You'd be sending a signal to possible coaches that you have to win a National Championship every year or you're going to be on the hot seat, and its also going to be hard to pay for two prime coaches at the same time. Because firing Brian Kelly means you're still paying Brian Kelly.

What Would LSU Have To Pay To Buyout Brian Kelly's Contract?

His contract says that if LSU fires him for no major reason, he gets 90% of whatever is left on the deal As of this morning, that's a check for a cool $53 million. Which is just a massive number to give someone to NOT coach for you. Or, if he got hired at Florida in the next year, that would be a massive number to pay someone to coach AGAINST you.

That kind of buyout puts him right up there with the biggest in the country. It's basically the cost of doing business if you want an elite coach. You have to guarantee the money, but man, it makes it tough to make a change if things go wrong.

The Championship Clause In Brian Kelly's LSU Contract

There's also a wild little detail in the fine print. If he actually wins a national championship for LSU and they still fire him later, that number jumps from 90% all the way to a full 100% of his remaining pay. Winning it all actually makes him more expensive to get rid of.

No matter how you spin it, that's a ton of money. Which shows just how "all in" the school is was on their guy. Fans can argue all day about how the team is doing, but at the end of the day, the contract spells out exactly what it costs to change your mind, or at least the mind of those who make decisions at LSU.