Over the weekend, LSU fired head coach Brian Kelly following the team’s 49-25 loss to Texas A&M. With Kelly gone, LSU now becomes one of the best available jobs in college football. Here are five potential candidates to become LSU’s next coach after Kelly.
Nick Saban
If I'm LSU, the 1st thing I do….
Call Nick Saban and offer him a king's ransom to be in charge of the LSU search.
Doesn't matter the cost.
— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) October 27, 2025
Occasionally, the most obvious answer is the right one.
LSU’s first call has to be to Nick Saban. The Hall of Fame coach is best known for winning six national championships with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
However, Saban is responsible for putting LSU back on the map at the start of the century. Saban went 48–16 in five seasons at LSU, culminating with a national championship in 2003.
Saban is currently retired from coaching and working as a college football analyst for ESPN. The 73-year-old has not expressed interest in returning to the sidelines.
If LSU called Saban and offered him $20 million annually to coach, would he say yes? It’s worth the risk for LSU. Call Saban and make him say no before moving on.
Urban Meyer
Odds to be the next LSU Head Coach per @BetOnline_ag :
Jon Sumrall 3/2
Joe Brady 2/1
Lane Kiffin 4/1
James Franklin 6/1
Eli Drinkwitz 8/1
Jeff Brohm 12/1
Brent Key 14/1
Jimbo Fisher 18/1
Clark Lea 20/1
Marcus Freeman 25/1
Urban Meyer 25/1
Rhett Lashlee 33/1
Jon Gruden 40/1…— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 27, 2025
The same principles used with Saban should apply to Urban Meyer. The 61-year-old last coached in 2021 with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Meyer’s stint in the NFL was a disaster. However, nothing he did in the NFL tarnished his college reputation.
Meyer is a three-time national championship-winning head coach — twice with Florida and once with Ohio State.
Meyer currently works as a college football analyst for Fox Sports.
Like Saban, Meyer has not expressed interest in returning to the college coaching ranks. However, the double-digit salary and the chance to win a national championship with a third different team could persuade Meyer back to the sidelines.
Lane Kiffin
"I have never made a decision based off money nor will I..
Jimmy Sexton gets really mad when I say that" 😂@Lane_Kiffin #PMSLive https://t.co/qAXpBpIOWW pic.twitter.com/A9DLpZQ4kY
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 27, 2025
No other coach in college football has been named as the potential successor to more programs than Lane Kiffin.
The Ole Miss head coach has been linked to nearly every major opening in college football, including Penn State, Florida, and now LSU.
Kiffin has been with Ole Miss since 2020 and will try to bring the Rebels to the College Football Playoff for the first time this season.
Kiffin also knows that if he leaves Ole Miss for LSU, it will come with total autonomy over the program and a massive pay raise. With SEC experience, Kiffin could be the coach to bring LSU back to prominence.
Dan Lanning
Is Dan Lanning a realistic option for LSU's Next HC? Are literal signs been shown? @JoshPateCFB explains
Full Segment: https://t.co/bfirkeWXhn pic.twitter.com/NYrsZommSq
— AYS Sports (@AYSSPORTS) October 27, 2025
Speaking of SEC experience, Lanning knows what it takes to win in the South. Before becoming the head coach of Oregon, Lanning served as the defensive coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs, who won the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship.
Lanning has turned the Oregon Ducks into a national power in just over three seasons.
Lanning is 42–7 since 2022 and has Oregon right in the CFP race this season.
Lanning is young (39), energetic, and successful, three components that could thrive at LSU.
Joe Brady
Joe Brady SMASHING the 'James Cook' button:#BillsMafia @BuffaloPlus pic.twitter.com/qFnxh4DDr4
— Dan Fetes (@danfetes) October 26, 2025
Would Joe Brady leave the NFL to coach LSU?
It’s unlikely, but crazier things have happened.
Brady is currently the offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills and should receive some NFL head coaching interviews at the end of the season.
In 2019, Brady was the passing game coordinator & wide receivers coach for the LSU Tigers, who won the 2019 National Championship with Joe Burrow at quarterback.
