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LSU fired Brian Kelly on Sunday following an embarrassing home loss to Texas A&M, the Tigers' third of the season that took them outside of the national rankings and ended all College Football Playoff hopes. The biggest domino to fall this coaching cycle, Kelly's firing spiked immediate reaction from former players and various program legends on what went wrong during his brief, four-year run in Baton Rouge.

Kelly finished 34-14 overall with one SEC Championship Game appearance to his credit, but without a single trip to the College Football Playoff -- the obvious goal this season. Pressure mounted on Kelly this offseason after the Tigers pushed all their chips to the center of the table and signed a top-end portal class, signaling an all-in approach.

LSU started the season 4-0 and climbed inside the top five, before the wheels fell off in SEC play over the last four weeks, beginning with a loss at Ole Miss on Sept. 27 and culminating with a 24-point beatdown at the hands of the Aggies on Saturday night.

Kelly was seen during his team's latest loss lashing out at assistant coaches on the sideline and berating players for mistakes. This had become a staple of a diminishing tenure for Kelly at LSU, whose previous three head coaches prior to his hiring all had captured national titles.

LSU coaching candidates: Lane Kiffin, Dabo Swinney among options on hot board to replace Brian Kelly
Chris Hummer
LSU coaching candidates: Lane Kiffin, Dabo Swinney among options on hot board to replace Brian Kelly

Jacob Hester, an All-SEC ballcarrier on LSU's 2007 BCS National Championship team under Les Miles, was one of the first to voice his opinion. Hester was a former team captain and rushed 225 times for 1,103 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior for the Tigers despite being part of a five-player rotation in the backfield.

According to Hester, the program needs to return to its "mean, nasty, and tough" DNA indicative of winning in Baton Rouge.

Shortly after news of Kelly's firing went viral, Giants wideout and ex-LSU star Malik Nabers posted a short and sweet video on his Instagram story alluding to the decision. Nabers played two seasons under Kelly with the Tigers, earning All-American status during Jayden Daniels' Heisman campaign in 2023 with 89 catches for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns before becoming a first-round pick.

Nabers is set for surgery this week to repair a torn MCL and meniscus suffered earlier this season.

Ahead of Kelly's first season in 2022, former LSU cornerback Dwight McGlothern left the program for Arkansas after signing with the Tigers under ex-coach Ed Orgeron. McGlothern and Kelly did not align after their first meeting and he entered the transfer portal shortly thereafter.

Former LSU wide receiver Brandon LaFell appears delighted by the Tigers' decision to fire Kelly. A third-round pick in 2010 by the Panthers, LaFell was a three-year starter at LSU, finishing with 25 career touchdown catches and 2,517 yards receiving.

Former LSU basketball standout Stromile Swift, who led the Tigers to the Sweet Sixteen during his career, used a basketball GIF on "X" after the news. Swift played 10 seasons in the NBA after he was taken No. 2 overall in 2000 and was considered a raw talent coming out of the SEC.

Xavier Atkins was a big-time, four-star signing out of Texas for Kelly in 2024 as one of that recruiting cycle's top linebackers nationally, but transferred to Auburn after one season.