Brian Kelly’s exit brought a wind of change to the LSU facility. During his three-and-a-half years of tenure, Kelly’s CEO-style approach led to less locker room interaction, struggles on the recruiting trail, missing out on players like Bryce Underwood, and growing tension with school alumni. However, in contrast, Frank Wilson’s new methods felt like a breath of fresh air, with open communication and a hands-on approach. Thus, instead of following Kelly’s playbook, he’s marching to the beat of his own drum.

Before heading to Alabama and going into the bye week, Frank Wilson ensures his team gets ready to go up against the SEC giants. His approach? Bringing in school alumni to make sure his team gets the best guidance. Ryan Clark hits X with a practice video and a perfect caption that reads: “The doors of the church are back open!! #GeauxTigers @LSUfootball #LSUforever.” It probably suggests that former players were not permitted to join team practice.

Brian Kelly’s relationship with former and current players has always been a concern. A week back, before his firing, insider Aaron Torres pointed out LSU DL Breiden Fehoko’s bold remark on Kelly’s approach towards program alumni. “People quoted me saying, ‘I don’t know what I’m talking about,’ when I said BK didn’t want alumni around,” Fehoko’s statement. “Everyone thinks this is about going to games on Saturday nights in Death Valley lol, no. This is about the offseason of having your past guys around the team in a workout environment.”

True to Fehoko’s rant, Brian Kelly got none of his alma mater in the facility to help his team. With that, even his locker room felt disconnected from him. Many reports talked about it; to make matters worse, even Fehoko said it aloud. Drawing contrast with Billy Napier and James Franklin’s firings and how their players expressed dissatisfaction with them on social media, Fehoko said no LSU player would do it for Kelly.

Former and current players have mixed reactions to it. Players like Whit Weeks expressed discomfort with the entire decision, and former players like DB Matthew Langlois responded with a brutal take on Kelly’s character. Langlois played nine games in 2021 before Kelly came into the program. After that, he suffered a season-ending injury and missed the 2023 season. Following the injury, Kelly forced him to quit before the 2024 season.

“I was FORCED to medically retire before I could get a 2nd or 3rd opinion,” Langlois said. “When I was playing very well before my injury, I’d hear from Coach Kelly quite often. The second I got injured, not a word since. Genuinely one of the worst humans I’ve been around, ever.” With that, some of his bold decisions, like letting go of conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt, who was a part of three title-winning coaching teams, also took a lot of heat.

Now that Kelly is out of the program, seeing what fresh changes Wilson makes will be fascinating. But for now, let’s learn about his possible replacements.

Inside the hunt for Brian Kelly’s next replacement

The LSU Tigers ended Brian Kelly’s tenure after three seasons without a playoff berth. Now, things are getting intense daily with Kelly’s move; even Athletic Director Scott Woodward’s future with the team is in question after he made a big hiring blunder and got Kelly fired with a $53 million buyout. So, whoever comes next needs to check all the boxes. The first name that comes up is Lane Kiffin, who’s also getting linked to the Florida Gators.

Holding a 51-19 record at Ole Miss and positioning them for their first college football appearance, he feels like a perfect fit. Then there’s Tulane HC Jon Sumrall, who’s 15-6 and already in contention to go to the playoffs this season. Moving from Power 4 to the SEC might feel like a big step, but Sumrall knows how to transition well, as he played in the SEC at Kentucky and coached LBs at Ole Miss and Kentucky before heading to Troy.

If you want to be ambitious, Marcus Freeman is also a viable option who’s 38-12 at Notre Dame. However, knowing his love for the team, he turned down the LSU defensive coordinator job to join Brian Kelly at ND.

Lastly, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz can be a perfect in-conference hire who’s already building his team for a championship run this season. His experience working under Gus Malzahn and Auburn in his coaching career will help him interpret the dynamics better. Now, let’s see if the interim coach can meet the expectations or if one of the other candidates steps in for the role.