Kelly heading to LSU from ND
LSU is hiring Brian Kelly away from Notre Dame, a stunning move by one of the most accomplished coaches in college football jumping from the sport’s most storied program to an Southeastern Conference powerhouse.
A person familiar with the decision told the Associated Press on Monday night that Kelly was leaving Notre Dame to coach at LSU. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because neither school was prepared to make an official announcement. Yahoo! Sports first reported the move.
It was the second bombshell in college football in as many days, coming a little more than 24 hours after Southern California lured Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma. LSU might have topped it by landing Kelly.
Kelly, 60, became the winningest coach in Notre Dame history earlier this season, surpassing Knute Rockne. In 12 seasons with the Fighting Irish, Kelly is 113-40, including the current run of five straight double-digit victory seasons.
Notre Dame completed an 11-1 season on Saturday and still is in contention to reach the College Football Playoff for the third time in the last four years. No previous coach has ever left the Irish, winners of eight national championships as voted on by the AP, to take a job at another school.
LSU’s coaching search started in October, when it reached an agreement to part ways with coach Ed Orgeron at the end of the season. The change came less than two years after Orgeron led the Tigers to a national championship.
The Tigers finished a 6-6 season Saturday, upsetting Texas A&M at home in Orgeron’s last game.
Former OC Lashlee hired as SMU coach
SMU hired Rhett Lashlee as its new head coach, bringing back its former offensive coordinator to replace Sonny Dykes.
Lashlee had been Miami’s offensive coordinator for two seasons after serving in the same role for the Mustangs during Dykes’ first two seasons in 2018 and 2019.
Dykes, who spent the past four seasons at SMU, on Monday was officially announced as TCU’s new coach to replace Gary Patterson. Dykes will be formally introduced at a news conference Tuesday.
Lashlee, 38, has been a college offensive coordinator for 11 seasons, at six different schools. He was at Samford in 2011 before serving on Gus Malzahn’s staffs at Arkansas State (2012) and Auburn (2013-16).
Baylor QB’s status remains unclear
Baylor quarterback Gerry Bohanon’s status for the Big 12 championship game was still uncertain Monday after missing the past 1½ games for the Bears because of a right hamstring injury.
Coach Dave Aranda described Bohanon as “awfully eager” and said the fourth-year junior and first-year starter would be at practice for the Bears, who play Oklahoma State in the conference title game Saturday in Arlington.
Odds and ends
Washington has hired Fresno State’s Kalen DeBoer to lead the Huskies, handing a program that has struggled offensively to a coach with a track record of productive and creative offenses. . ... Georgia Tech RB Jahmyr Gibbs, who finished third in the nation in all-purpose yards, announced plans to enter the transfer portal ... Temple fired coach Rod Carey after three seasons, ending a tenure that produced a combined two American Athletic Conference wins in the last two years.