Notre Dame football sources share mixed messages on Brian Kelly’s future after LSU firing

Brian Kelly’s infamous firing from the LSU Tigers football program last October led to an ugly fallout that had the 64-year-old coming off to the sports world like a negative coaching asset. Kelly was 34-14 at LSU, though, and was the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s all-time winningest head coach at 113-40 during his career in South Bend.

Those close to the Notre Dame football program have great respect for Kelly. Some believe that he most certainly has a future in College Football as a head coach. Others aren’t so sure if Kelly has a place in the modern game.

Ahead of the 2026 American Century Championship, I got to speak to three members of NBC’s annual celebrity golf tournament’s field: Fighting Irish football on-field reporter Kathryn Tappen, former Notre Dame QB Joe Theisman, and ex-Blue and Metallic Gold bulldozing running back, “The Bus,” Jerome Bettis. The tournament takes place from July 8-12 at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Stateline, Nevada, and airs on NBC and Peacock.

While Tappen didn’t explicitly discuss Kelly’s future, she lauded Kelly for upholding the Fighting Irish’s standards while on campus. It’s clear that Kelly will always be a soft spot for many in South Bend, even if fans by and large look back unlovingly at his tenure.

Bettis and Theismann both have respect for what Kelly accomplished, but they had different opinions on whether he was still a possibility for Power 4 conference schools during any future hiring cycles.

“I think he definitely has a future in coaching.”

Bettis is optimistic Kelly will be back sooner rather than later. While discussing Kelly’s future, Bettis pointed at his successful past, at Notre Dame and elsewhere.

“I think he definitely has a future in coaching. He's been a great coach his entire career. I mean, yeah, he didn't win a championship for LSU, but they were competitive every year. He produced a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback with Jayden Daniels. He's done some really good things, and he's the winningest coach in Notre Dame’s history,” Bettis told me.

“He won championships in Division II (at Grand Valley State). He took Cincinnati to prominence. His track record is impeccable. So 100% he'll be coaching in the future.”

Bettis’ knowledge of Kelly’s career shows how respected Kelly is to former players who preceded his time in Northern Indiana. Still, not everyone is sold on the idea that Kelly will be back in the coaching realm as Bettis.

“I don't know what universities are looking for.”

Theismann sounded pessimistic about Kelly finding a program that will pay him, considering the game has changed drastically with the introduction of NIL and rev-share payments to players.

“It's hard. It's really hard to tell what they're looking for. I don't know what universities are looking for…Brian had a heck of a record at the University of Notre Dame. He built it over time. At LSU, there wasn't a time frame that seemed to work out. I think it revolves around the athletes you have; the quarterback that you have makes a world of difference,” Theismann said.

There’s no obvious future for Kelly in College Football, though at least some have hope that he’ll one day return to the sport in a meaningful role. If nothing else is set in stone, there’s at least a lot of appreciation for what Kelly meant to the program for 12 seasons.