LSU Football Coach Brian Kelly Salary, Net Worth, Contract, and Buyout

brian kelly 2

Brian Kelly is one of the most successful college football coaches in recent history, with a storied career that has seen him achieve remarkable success wherever he has gone. In 2023, Kelly will be entering his second year as head coach of the LSU Tigers, having earned his big contract with the program after a long and impressive career. Let’s take a quick look at Brian Kelly’s contract, salary, and net worth.

Contract and Salary

Kelly’s contract with LSU is a ten-year deal worth $100 million. In 2022, Kelly’s salary was $9.5 million, but this increases to $9.7 million in 2023. This salary puts him among the highest-paid coaches in college football.

Included in that is a longevity bonus of $500,000, which Kelly receives every July that he remains with the program. The contract also includes a number of incentives, including postseason incentives, coaching recognition incentives, and academic incentives.

Incentives

  • $75,000 for participating in the SEC championship game
  • $150,000 for winning the SEC championship game
  • $500,000 for making LSU bowl eligible
  • $100,000 for reaching a New Years Six Bowl
  • $200,000 for reaching the College Football Playoff
  • $300,000 for reaching the National Championship game
  • $500,000 for winning the National Championship
  • $50,000 for winning SEC Coach of the Year
  • $75,000 for winning National Coach of the Year

In addition to his salary and incentives, Kelly is entitled to an automobile allowance for two cars, totaling no more than $1,000 per month for each and a $275,000 per year stipend for private jet use.

Buyout

If Kelly is fired without cause:

  • LSU will owe him 90% of what remains on his contract in base salary, supplemental compensation, and longevity compensation. However, if LSU wins a national championship at any point during Kelly’s tenure and he is still fired at some point after then he will be owed 100% of that amount.

If Kelly lands another coaching job:

  • His salary at the new job would be deducted from the amount LSU owes him.

Should Kelly leave for another job, he would owe the Tigers the following amounts:

  • $4,000,000 if he leaves prior to Dec. 31, 2022
  • $3,000,000 if he leaves prior to Dec. 31, 2023
  • $2,000,000 if he leaves after that

Net Worth

All of this has helped contribute to Kelly’s impressive net worth, which is estimated to be in the region of $35 million. Kelly has achieved success at every stop in his coaching career, with a record of 273-100-2 and a win percentage of approximately 72.1%.

In his first season with LSU, he led the team to a victory in the Citrus Bowl, demonstrating once again his ability to lead teams to success on the football field.

Brian Kelly is a highly accomplished and successful coach with a long and impressive career in college football. His contract with LSU is one of the largest in the sport, and his net worth is a reflection of his many accomplishments and achievements over the years.

With a strong track record of success behind him, it will be exciting to see what Kelly can accomplish in the years to come with the LSU Tigers.

Arrow to top