‘One of the Most Unlikeable Dudes in the History of the Sport’ — CFB Fans Rip Ex-LSU HC Brian Kelly As He Begins Broadcasting Gig
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Brian Kelly has seemingly become one of the more polarizing figures in all of college football, and now fans are taking aim at his new gig as a color analyst for CBS Sports Network.
Brian Kelly’s Move to the Broadcast Booth Has CFB Fans Talking
According to Brett McMurphy of On3, Kelly is debuting as a color analyst for CBS Sports Network today, August 29. He will be covering the 5:30 p.m. ET game between Jacksonville State and North Dakota State.
As McMurphy also points out, it’s nearly one year to the day since Kelly was the head coach of the LSU Tigers and led them to a season-opening win over the Clemson Tigers, 17-10.
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Since he’s been out of coaching, Kelly has made headlines, including receiving a $54 million buyout, which didn’t sit well with fans after Kelly posted the following records:
2022: 10-4
2023: 10-3
2024: 9-4
2025: 5-3
Kelly was fired from LSU on October 26, 2025, which came one day after a blowout home loss to Texas A&M, 49-25.
He has since expressed interest in coaching again but also said that he “didn’t have to coach again unless it’s the right coaching position.” That comment, of course, makes more sense in the context of his $54 million buyout.
“I think if I got 54 million to leave I’d probably rather sit at home and watch football,” one fan said.
The criticism of Kelly and his new role didn’t stop there, though.
“We are FREE from the worst hire! God is good!!! LSU is led by the best now!!” one (presumably) LSU fan said in response to McMurphy’s post.
“He’ll choke in that role, too,” someone else said. When Kelly came over from Notre Dame, the expectations for the program, especially with Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels in 2023, were sky-high. However, Kelly’s Tigers never made the College Football Playoff.
In his final full season (2024), LSU posted a PFSN CFB Offense Impact score of 84.6, which was 10th in the nation. That same season, their CFB Defense Impact score was 80.0 (35th in the country).
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“Brian Kelly is genuinely one of the most unlikeable dudes in the history of the sport. I don’t understand this,” another person said.
There have been reports, including those from analyst Josh Pate, that Kelly may not be embracing LSU’s unique culture.
“I think he went down there and said, ‘I don’t need to do all this. I’ll fake an accent for you, but I don’t need to embrace this. This place needs to embrace me. I’m the winner. I’m the one who’s won for a long time. I’ve done this stuff my whole career. I’ll do it here,’” Pate said.
We’ll see how Kelly performs in his new role and whether he can restore his image with football fans, or if this could be a classic case of a coach working in broadcasting for a year before returning to the coaching ranks.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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