Brian Kelly Confirms LSU Is Spending An Insane Amount Of Money On Roster Under Lane Kiffin

One of the most shocking stories of the 2025 college football season involved the LSU Tigers. 

LSU started the season in the top 10 in the Associated Press poll, then moved up to number three in the country after beating the Clemson Tigers on the road. Just a few weeks later, they'd lost four out of five games, they fell out of the SEC and national contention, and head coach Brian Kelly was fired. 

Somehow, it got more dramatic afterward, with LSU's administration trying to avoid paying for Kelly's buyout. The state's governor got involved, and a months-long effort to get Lane Kiffin over from Ole Miss ensued. Kiffin came over, signed the number one transfer portal recruiting class in the country, and expectations are now for LSU to immediately return to the top of the SEC along with Georgia and Alabama. 

But Kelly's now speaking out about the stunning, rapid turn of events in Baton Rouge, while revealing some new information on just how much LSU's spending on their roster this year.

Former head coach of the LSU Tigers Brian Kelly. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

LSU Dropping Huge Number On Roster This Season

Speaking on "Dusty and Danny in the Morning," Kelly said he's open to returning to coaching, if and when the right situation comes along. "If the right situation comes about, and I’m ready, I’m certainly going to entertain that," he said.

When asked about Kiffin getting $91 million over seven years to join LSU, Kelly added, "That shouldn’t happen, but it is because the money is out there."

So the Tigers have to spend $53 million on Kelly's buyout and have committed to $91 million for Kiffin over the next seven years. How much money could possibly be left to spend on their actual roster? A whole lot, apparently. 

As the show hosts brought up rumors of a $40 million roster this season, Kelly interrupted by confirming it: "Over $40 (million), I’ll tell you that."

Over $40 million on a college football roster, when just a few years ago, players were getting nothing. That's how quickly the landscape in college football has shifted, and how much money has been pouring in and around programs, particularly in the SEC and Big Ten Conferences. It also explains why Kiffin took the job; few other programs are willing or capable of spending that much on talent. And that's how you win in the modern era.

He also talked about what it meant for him to lose his job at LSU, and the explanation for it.

"Let’s put it in perspective: I’ve had 33 years in this business, over 300 wins, (and I’ve) had two losing seasons in 33 years — my entire career has been built upon having some kind of success," Kelly said. "So when you get fired, you get told you’re not the guy for the job. You start thinking about the things that you’ve done for three decades. I don’t know that you question it, but you look carefully at why that happened. The easy answer is: I didn’t win enough games."

Lack of consistency with coordinators on both sides of the ball was also a problem. 

"Not having enough continuity with the coordinators certainly put us in a position where we couldn’t make any mistakes," Kelly added. "At the end of the day, X’s and O’s still matter."

He also took one parting shot at where LSU's focus is as a program compared to Notre Dame, saying, "The academic piece certainly wasn’t there (either). This is about getting players to play at the highest level."

Obviously, Kelly didn't have the kind of success that LSU fans have become accustomed to, and there's too much at stake for these teams to wait longer for things to improve. But a $40 million roster will certainly go a long way towards fixing it. Texas Tech showed last season that money can, in fact, buy success. It seems inevitable Kelly will wind up back in college football, and as his comments here show, even with his experience and track record, you can still make mistakes. He did, and it seems like he's learned from them.