What we know about the LSU football coaching change and Brian Kelly

The LSU Tigers officially announced Brian Kelly as their new football coach on Tuesday morning, wrapping up a weekslong search for Ed Orgeron's successor. 

Here is everything we know about the Louisiana State University coaching search, Ed Orgeron's departure and Brian Kelly's arrival. 

What happened to Ed Orgeron?

LSU began negotiating a separation agreement with Orgeron following a 42-21 loss at Kentucky on Oct. 9. Orgeron walks away with a $16.9 million buyout that LSU will pay over installments until 2025.

Since finalizing Orgeron’s exit, LSU finished 2-3 over the past month. The Tigers closed the regular season with wins over Louisiana-Monroe and Texas A&M.

After the team's 27-24 win over Texas A&M, Orgeron announced he would not coach them in a bowl game.

“I’m packing to go to Destin,” Orgeron said. “I’ll be there tomorrow.”

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The decision was mutual on the part of Orgeron, athletic director Scott Wodward and LSU’s administration.

“I told the guys I wish them luck,” Orgeron said. “I’m not gonna to sit here and coach when there’s another guy coming in to be the head coach this week or the week after that. I’m not gonna do that.

“This is my team and as soon as they got a new head coach, I was gonna go.”

Offensive line coach Brad Davis will be LSU’s interim coach for the bowl game. A Baton Rouge native, Davis was hired away from Arkansas in June.

“I hope they go to a great bowl,” Orgeron said. “I know that Brad Davis is going to do a great job and whoever the new coach is, I wish them all the luck in the world. I’m always going to be an LSU Tiger fan.”

Orgeron told LSU’s players about his departure in the postgame locker room. He joined them on in the north end zone one last time for the alma mater, savoring his final moments on the field at Tiger Stadium.

Orgeron exits LSU with a 51-20 record in six seasons. The Tigers finished 15-0 and won a national championship in 2019 but regressed to 11-11 over the past two seasons.

What to know about Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly finished his tenure at Notre Dame with a 113-40 record. He coached the Irish to their first College Football Playoff appearance in 2018 and also made it in 2020.

He is the only coach to win the Home Depot Coach of the Year Award multiple times. He received the award in 2009, 2012 and 2018.

Kelly has a .743 winning percentage, trailing only Nick Saban among active FBS coaches with at least 15 years of head coaching experience.

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Before going to Notre Dame, Kelly coached at Cincinnati from 2007-09 and finished with a 34-6 record. The Bearcats won two straight Big East titles and earned two New Year Six bowl appearances in 2008 (FedEx Orange Bowl) and 2009 (Allstate Sugar Bowl).

Before Cincinnati, Kelly was the head coach at Central Michigan. He finished with a record of 19-16 and won the Mid-American Conference title in 2006. 

Kelly's overall coaching record is 263-96-2.

What to know about Brian Kelly's contract and salary

LSU is giving Brian Kelly a 10-year contract that will pay him at least $9.5 million per year, according to a school release Tuesday.

With incentives, Kelly could earn upwards of $100 million over the course of the contract. No other contract details were made available.

When will Brian Kelly arrive in Baton Rouge?

Brian Kelly is expected to be in Baton Rouge on Tuesday.

LSU athletic director Scott Woodward will introduce Kelly at a news conference on Wednesday.

Gabe Hauari is a digital producer for the USA Today Network. You can follow him on Twitter @GabeHauari.