When the LSU Tigers chose to move on from Ed Orgeron, the Tigers were in a place where they needed to make a big bet to turn the program around. Athletic Director Scott Woodward swung for the fences, poaching one of the biggest names in College Football, Brian Kelly, away from Notre Dame.
The decision by Brian Kelly was shocking as he left one of College Football's premier programs with a great program set up to take a gamble in the SEC. Brian Kelly declared he made the move because he wanted to compete for National Championships, but that hasn't been the case.
On Saturday, the LSU Tigers lost to Vanderbilt in a game where the Commodores looked like the better team in every aspect of the game. The loss puts LSU on the brink of missing the College Football Playoff for the 4th season in a row under Kelly, while his predecessors Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Ed Orgeron all won National Championships within 3 seasons.
Normally, the clear fix for LSU would be to cut bait with Brian Kelly but, the contract makes it impossible to do.
Brian Kelly's abysmal contract gives LSU no choice
The LSU Tigers had to cough up a massive amount to be able to lure Brian Kelly away from Notre Dame. As things currently stand, the Tigers would owe Brian Kelly $53,293,333 if they fired him without cause. Kelly's deal is fully guaranteed which gives LSU no true financial benefit in firing their head coach.
The Tigers just went all in using the Transfer Portal for the first time, and it took a total program buy-in. It's almost impossible to imagine the LSU boosters paying that level of a buyout and then bringing in an entirely new staff, which means the Tigers are likely stuck with Kelly for the foreseeable future.