Brian Kelly came into Baton Rouge with one objective in mind: win a national championship. He never managed to achieve the objective, not even reaching the College Football Playoff once during his four seasons with the LSU Tigers.
Kelly had told the press that he left Notre Dame for LSU because he believed he couldn't win a national ***** le with the Fighting Irish. On Thursday, he admitted that he was never able to play up to the standard set for him in Baton Rouge.
Speaking with Front Office Sports, the former LSU coach said:
"I didn't live up to the standards that are set there at LSU. They brought me in to win a national championship, and there was a lot of work that needed to be done to get there, more so than many thought, but at the end of the day I didn't get to that level of expectation that they had," Kelly said.
He also said that he expects Lane Kiffin to be held to the same standard he was under when he was LSU's coach. So far, 2026 has looked similar to the years under Kelly, with highlights and low points for the No. 15 Tigers (6-2) as their CFP hopes have only a thin margin for error.
#kelly
Kelly had told the press that he left Notre Dame for LSU because he believed he couldn't win a national ***** le with the Fighting Irish. On Thursday, he admitted that he was never able to play up to the standard set for him in Baton Rouge.
Speaking with Front Office Sports, the former LSU coach said:
"I didn't live up to the standards that are set there at LSU. They brought me in to win a national championship, and there was a lot of work that needed to be done to get there, more so than many thought, but at the end of the day I didn't get to that level of expectation that they had," Kelly said.
He also said that he expects Lane Kiffin to be held to the same standard he was under when he was LSU's coach. So far, 2026 has looked similar to the years under Kelly, with highlights and low points for the No. 15 Tigers (6-2) as their CFP hopes have only a thin margin for error.
#kelly
8 hours ago
