
In Nov. 2021, coach Brian Kelly and LSU both found themselves at a crossroads. Kelly believed Notre Dame’s off-field standards had given the Fighting Irish a ceiling, and the Tigers were starting over after canning 2019 national championship-winning coach Ed Orgeron.
Their fly-by-night marriage bore fruit early, with LSU playing for a surprise SEC title in 2022. However, the Tigers couldn’t win big games in ’23, declined to 9–4 in ’24 and fired Kelly after a 5–3 start in 2025.