Brian Kelly Is Finally Fired By LSU, While Eli Drinkwitz Cashes In At Missouri
LSU finally ends its messy $53 million buyout battle with former coach Brian Kelly
STARKVILLE - Both Brian Kelly and Eli Drinkwitz have a lot to be grateful for on this Thanksgiving, for two different reasons.
One of the most entertaining storylines around college football over the past month has not just been what Lane Kiffin will decide to do regarding his current employer, Ole Miss.
No, that award goes to the LSU Board of Supervisors and former head coach Brian Kelly. After the university could not decide on what type of payment plan to use regarding the former Tigers head coach and his buyout, the school officially put down their swords and stopped this ridiculous fight with Kelly on Wednesday night.
After threatening to fire him with cause, which would have eliminated the buyout, the school voted to allow newly hired President Wade Roussee to officially terminate Brian Kelly without cause in a letter sent to the attorneys representing the now fired former coach.
Brian Kelly Claims Ongoing Battle With LSU Regarding Buyout Has Prevented Him From Finding Job
Yes, I know how crazy all of this sounds, given that LSU technically sent Kelly packing last month. But, after a lawsuit was filed against the school that threatened to have this entire ordeal end up in a courtroom, LSU will now pay the full $53 million buyout.
This is something they should have done three weeks ago, but Governor Jeff Landry also decided to join the fun with an awkward press conference that was supposed to be solely focused on the government shutdown.
Lane Kiffin’s Potential Exit Could Greatly Impact Ole Miss In The College Football Playoff Rankings
Either way, Brian Kelly can now enjoy Thanksgiving and use $100 bills as napkins if he so chooses. I'm just glad someone on the Bayou finally woke up and realized this was making them look even worse, as they also courted Lane Kiffin to become the new head coach.
Eli Drinkwitz Gets Paid, Signs Extension With Missouri
His name has been floated for the LSU and Florida jobs, in the case that either school doesn't land Lane Kiffin.
Eli Drinkwitz was also mentioned for the Penn State opening, though that never really got off the ground.
But, rather than wait things out, or risk finding himself in a bad spot with Missouri, the school put together a very lucrative contract extension that will pay the Tigers an average annual salary of $10.75 million per year.
"My family and I believe deeply in the vision and leadership from our administration and are incredibly happy to continue calling Columbia our home," Drinkwitz said. "I'm grateful for the unwavering support of President Mun Choi, the Board of Curators, led by Chair Todd Graves and incoming Vice Chair Bob Blitz, along with our athletics director Laird Veatch. We're also incredibly thankful for the support of our generous donors and NIL partners. I'm committed to continuing our work to build Mizzou into a championship program."
What this does now is put an exorbitant amount of pressure on Florida and LSU to get it right when it comes to hiring a new head coach.
One of these schools is not landing Kiffin, and it might be both of them if Ole Miss gets their way.
So, here we are, carving up the turkey on this Thanksgiving Day, and the pressure is starting to rise for multiple programs. And no, I'm not talking about the deep fryer some of you will be using this afternoon.