LSU fires head coach Brian Kelly amid nightmare season despite eye-watering buyout fee

LSU has informed football head coach Brian Kelly of its intention to dismiss him, according to a report. 

The Tigers have failed to deliver on high expectations amid a disappointing 5-3 season in Baton Rouge. 

As a result, LSU is firing Kelly following a contentious Sunday of meetings. The school is expected to inform the team of his dismissal tonight, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. 

Kelly is said to be owed a reported eye-watering $54million in buyout money, yet talks about the terms of his departure are expected to continue. 

The decision to relieve Kelly of his duties came after a 49-25 loss to the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday night, which marked the Tigers' third defeat in their last four games. 

'This is an extremely disappointing night,' Kelly said. 'Any fan base would be upset. The responsibility falls on me. LSU has a proud tradition and a proud team. They prepared their tails off and expected to win. It showed in the first half and not in the second.

'My focus has to be inside-out, not outside-in. The noise is deserved, but I have to fix what's inside our program so this doesn't happen again.'

Chants of 'Fire Kelly' rained down from the handful of LSU fans who actually bothered to stick around for the conclusion of Saturday's defeat. One day later, they had their wish granted. 

Kelly, who signed a 10-year, $100 million contract when he was hired ahead of the 2022 season, departs the program with a 34-14 overall record and a 19-10 record in SEC play.

His dismissal is just the latest in a series of axings in college football over the past few weeks. 

SEC rival, the Florida Gators, parted ways with head coach Billy Napier last weekend, despite a 23-21 win in the Swamp the night prior. 

Napier had been in charge of the team for four seasons, finishing with an overall record of 22-23. 

Napier's firing came one week after Penn State also called time on head coach James Franklin.