LSU HC Brian Kelly quashes rumors of leaving for Michigan or elsewhere amid Jim Harbaugh’s mega $125M contract
The LSU Tigers' head coach Brian Kelly has had a successful career overlooking several programs.
LSU is the fifth school Kelly has coached at. His journey has taken him from Grand Valley State in 1991, to LSU in 2023, and through Notre Dame also. In fact, he led the Fighting Irish to a championship game in 2013, and two College Football Playoffs semi-finals in 2018 and 2020.
There are talks about Kelly moving again, this time to Michigan to coach the Wolverines.
But, as Fox Sports LSU analyst Aaron Torres posted on X, Kelly seems set on staying in Baton Rogue.
"This is the Last Stop on the Coach Kelly Caravan."
The LSU Tigers: Brian Kelly's last stop?
Kelly joined the Tigers at the beginning of the 2022 season, taking over from former coach Ed Orgeron, who led LSU to the national championship in 2019. They won that season with a team that included the likes of Joe Burrow and Ja'marr Chase.
In his first season, he led the Tigers to a 10-4 season, which gave them a spot in the SEC Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs. They would lose this game, but it would be classed as a successful season for the Tigers.
This season, he led the Tigers to a 9-3 record and a spot in the Reliaquest Bowl against Wisconsin. This also gave Kelly and LSU a Heisman Trophy winner in Jaylen Daniels, who had an incredible season with the Tigers.
After two strong seasons, it is natural for speculation to arise as to whether Kelly could leave the Tigers for an even larger program, like Michigan.
The veteran coach has stopped these rumors in their tracks, saying that LSU is the “last stop on the Kelly Caravan,” which has been to several schools around the country.
What gave rise to the rumors?
The talk about Kelly moving to Michigan stemmed from the notion that Jim Harbaugh, the current Wolverines coach, may want to return to the NFL.
Before turning Michigan into the powerhouse that they are now, Harbaugh, like his brother John, was an NFL coach. Jim led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl in 2013, a game he would lose to his brother's Baltimore Ravens.
Then, in 2021, it was reported that Harbaugh was heavily interested in taking the head coach role at the Minnesota Vikings. The role later went to Kevin O’Connell.
It's being reported now that the Wolverines are set to offer Harbaugh a $125 million contract. This would make him the highest-paid coach in college football. Most interestingly, the contract has been reported to feature a 'No NFL' clause, but this would only be invoked for one year.
If Harbaugh is to take his new contract, this may only keep him from pursuing an NFL coaching role for one year. Maybe in a few years' time, Brian Kelly could again be linked with the Wolverines.