LSU athletics director [autotag]Scott Woodward[/autotag] is known for splashy coach hirings.
Perhaps the most notable move of his career came in 2021, when he convinced [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag], the winningest coach in Notre Dame history, to take over a Tigers program looking to get back to a national championship level.
Unsurprisingly, it took a lot of money to pull that off, and with his current contract, Kelly is one of the highest-paid coaches in the nation in 2024. According to USA TODAY Sports’ coaching salary database, Kelly is set to make $9.975 million this season, ranking eighth nationally and fourth in the SEC behind Kirby Smart, Steve Sarkisian and Kalen DeBoer.
He could earn more than a million more in bonuses this season, and he was paid $100,000 in bonuses in 2023-24.
Kelly is 25-8 at LSU, and while he’s yet to get the team to the College Football Playoff, it’s unlikely the program will look to move on any time soon. If it did, however, a buyout wouldn’t come cheap.
If Kelly were fired after Dec. 1, the school would owe him a buyout north of $61 million, the fourth highest of any coach from a public university in the nation.
The Tigers have clearly invested heavily in Kelly, and they hope that pays off with a trip to the CFP in Year 3.
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