Brian Kelly isn't patrolling the sidelines this fall, but he's found a new way to stay in the game. According to Front Office Sports, the former LSU head coach has landed a gig as a color analyst for Mountain West football broadcasts on CBS Sports during the 2026 season.
Kelly was dismissed by LSU midway through the 2025 campaign after a lopsided loss to Texas A&M. His tenure in Baton Rouge ended with a 34-14 record, but the program's struggles were so pronounced that boosters agreed to absorb his massive $54 million buyout just to move on. Part of that buyout required Kelly to make "good-faith, reasonable and sustained efforts to obtain" new employment. Now, he's doing exactly that—by heading to the broadcast booth.
Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reports that Kelly will join a three-man booth for Mountain West games on the broadcast network. This move was hinted at when Kelly served as part of CBS Sports Network's studio coverage during the NFL Draft. He'll also appear as an analyst on the network's weekday program, Inside College Football. The role comes as CBS reshuffles its college football analyst lineup, with Charles Davis moving up to replace Gary Danielson alongside Brad Nessler on Big Ten broadcasts. For more on those changes, check out ESPN's own analyst promotions for 2026.
While Kelly's immediate future is in broadcasting, he hasn't ruled out a return to coaching. In a March appearance on SiriusXM's "Dusty and Danny in the Morning," he left the door wide open. "I don't know that I've made the decision that I want to get back in," Kelly said, via On3. "But I think while you wait, you need to work. So I need to stay in the game." He added that he plans to visit spring practices over the next few weeks to observe changes in the sport, from NIL and the transfer portal to the evolving calendar. This echoes broader concerns about the state of college football, as Kirk Herbstreit recently sounded the alarm on the sport's direction.
Before his LSU stint, Kelly was widely regarded as one of the top coaches in college football, having built a powerhouse at Notre Dame and earlier at Grand Valley State. His track record suggests he could get another shot at leading a program—perhaps as soon as 2027. For now, though, he'll trade his headset for a microphone, offering analysis and insight from the booth. It's a transition that keeps him connected to the game while fulfilling his contractual obligations.
Kelly's move into broadcasting is part of a larger trend of former coaches finding second acts in the media. Given his experience and reputation, he's likely to bring a sharp, analytical perspective to Mountain West broadcasts. Fans wondering whether he'll ever return to the sideline should note his own words: he's not closing any doors. But for the 2026 season, college football fans will hear his voice, not his play calls.
