Brian Kelly had a 34-14 record in at LSU after being hired on Nov. 30, 2021. Michael DeMocker / Getty Images

“He doesn’t even know the players’ names.”

The Brian Kelly Era is over at LSU, but the story that has emerged — which The Athletic details here — is that of a head coach who became thoroughly disconnected from his players and, ultimately, the storied program in Death Valley.

Kelly had a 34-14 record at LSU before being fired Sunday, a day after a 49-25 loss at home to Texas A&M. He had failed to bring LSU its fifth college football national championship, or even get close to it. But a coach who can’t bond with his players is doomed to fail, especially in the hotbed that is SEC football.

*“He really never got to know me.” *

Charles Turner, who started at center during Kelly’s first two seasons at LSU, described a coach who, despite his ability to win wherever he’s been, didn’t get personal and in touch with the team. “You gotta come a different way with your players. You have to let your players know that you really got ’em.”

Kelly was also aloof at times during his 12-year tenure at Notre Dame, where he won 10 or more games seven times but never won a national title. A former Fighting Irish staffer told *The Athletic, *“I never saw the guy,” and that Kelly — unlike previous coaches he had worked for — did not try to create a family atmosphere with the program.

“Make an appointment.”

In one of the more striking anecdotes, a staffer told *The Athletic *that Kelly would not even talk to a recruit, even though the staffer was right next to him with the recruit on the phone.

“At one point, I brought my phone over to him and said, ‘Coach, I need you to talk to this kid.’ He goes, ‘Make an appointment.’ I said, ‘An appointment? I got him on the phone right now. What are you talking about?’”

Kelly’s inability to connect with players became a weapon other schools “would use against us” when recruiting players, a staffer told us. “‘He’ll never talk to you guys. He doesn’t even know the players’ names.’”

“He just lacks the authenticity.”

One staffer implied that Kelly didn’t put in the effort that someone should with a 10-year contract worth $95 million. “I don’t want to dance on his grave, like I see a lot of people doing, but you could almost tell that he cashed out here.”

Another staffer echoed that it seemed Kelly didn’t put in 100 percent effort, which made recruiting — the lifeblood of a successful college football program — much more difficult. “The effort just is not there, especially for what this place is and compared to what we’re competing against. We always had to recruit around him.”

Then there were the stories of how Kelly handled tragedies with his players. The father of former LSU safety Greg Brooks Jr., who was diagnosed with a brain tumor, said Kelly did not reach out to his son during his medical ordeal, which Kelly denied.

Kenny Lacy, the father of former LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy, who died by suicide in April, criticized Kelly after he was fired. Lacy said Kelly did not reach out to him after his son’s death. Kandace Washington — Kyren’s mother — contradicts that account, saying that “Coach Brian Kelly absolutely called me after Kyren passed, and we spoke more than once.”

“You just see it all as a facade.”

A former Tiger told us that Kelly didn’t know the first names of several players, and the ex-coach seemed like a fraud they could not trust. “Guys didn’t feel like he meant what he said. Everyone could feel that in the building,” he said.

When this same player decided to transfer to another school, he was scheduled to have a 1-on-1 meeting with Kelly to discuss why he was leaving. The player said Kelly didn’t show up.

We asked the player if he was surprised Kelly was fired. He said no.

Oct 31, 2025

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