Paul Finebaum admits LSU firing head football coach Brian Kelly would’ve been the narrative if Tigers lost to Vanderbilt

Paul Finebaum subtly let listeners of The Matt Barrie Show in on some inside baseball on November 24: LSU firing head football coach Brian Kelly would’ve been the narrative had the Tigers lost to Vanderbilt in Week 13.

“I was watching the Alabama game and watching the Auburn game, and I had to remember at about midnight what happened at LSU. I assumed that LSU won because otherwise, I would have had 15 texts about Brian Kelly. But it was hard. The good news is, he won the game. The bad news is, I don’t know, how much interest there was as long as he won. That was all that mattered,” Finebaum said.

Coaching changes sell. Finebaum wants to prognosticate on who can restore LSU to being a powerhouse.

It makes sense to think Kelly was at risk of losing his job, too. After losing 5-star Belleville (MI) QB Bryce Underwood to Michigan, Kelly had endured a lowlight week of his three-year tenure in Baton Rouge.

Finebaum wasn’t shy about pointing that out.

“It was a terrible week for Brian Kelly,” Finebaum said. “The biggest loss was Underwood, even more so than the Florida game because that’s what the fans, I should say, we’re building the hope for next year. Again, the Vanderbilt game was so deep under the radar screen last night.”

Kelly lives to see another week. If he can beat Oklahoma, then turn around recruiting and land a proven name at QB in the transfer portal, the Week 12 loss to Florida will be a distant memory.

So will the narrative of Kelly being fired. His immediate success upon arriving at LSU proves he knows how to build a winner in this NIL-driven college football landscape.