Brian Kelly Says 'I'll Have To Get Better' After CBS Sports Commentary Debut
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Saturday marked the first time since the late-1970s that Brian Kelly didn’t begin a college football season wearing either a helmet or a coaching headset. He made his debut on CBS sports as a color commentator today and was pretty blunt in grading his performance.
Kelly was on the call alongside Rich Waltz and Adam Breneman for CBS’ coverage of the North Dakota State vs. Jacksonville State game. He had previously been employed as a college football coach every year since graduating from Assumption College in 1983. But following the bitter end to his tenure at LSU last year, the 64-year-old coach decided to spend 2026 watching and reacting to the games from the booth.
As far as his performance in the booth goes, it certainly had its ups and downs. And if you don’t believe it, just ask Kelly himself. When asked by Breneman about the experience, Kelly admitted that he’ll need to do better, but he felt that his two colleagues made the job a little easier for him.
“I’ll have to get better to keep up with you guys, but thanks for making this one a little bit easier than I thought,” Kelly said on the broadcast late in the fourth quarter.
Tough Crowd for Kelly
As for the fans, they didn’t exactly have effusive praise for the two-time AP Coach of the Year.
“I like Brian Kelly better as a game analyst/commentator than as a coach,” one user said as a backhanded compliment.
“Brian Kelly looks like a guy excited to foreclose on Grandma’s house,” wrote another.
“I’ll say this for Brian Kelly: For whatever he may lack in natural broadcast talent or compelling insight, he does possess a uniquely grating, unlistenable voice,” a third said.
“Brian Kelly out hear making me get ready to skip a bunch of CBS college football games.”
Kelly didn’t exactly endear himself to the many schools he coached at through the years. His contentious departures from Cincinnati and Notre Dame, followed by his falling out with the administration at LSU that led to his ousting in the middle of the 2025 season haven’t exactly made him a beloved figure among college sports fans.
That said, there are going to be plenty of coaches that get fired this year – some of which will come from desirable spots.
As much as people may dislike Kelly, a 72-percent career win rate is pretty hard to say no to forever.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Aug 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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