Brian Kelly isn't done with football, but he will be back on the sidelines in a much different way this fall.
Front Office Sports reported this week that the veteran former college head coach with nearly 300 wins to his credit will join CBS Sports as a color analyst for the 2026 college football season. Kelly is expected to be part of a three-man booth calling Mountain West games on the broadcast network, and will also appear as an analyst on the CBSSN weekday Inside College Football program .
The move wasn't exactly out of nowhere. Kelly got a taste of the broadcast side when CBS Sports tapped him for studio coverage during NFL Draft weekend back in the spring, and apparently it was enough to make both sides want more of it.
CBS's college football portfolio this season includes one Big Ten game per week and the rights to a new-look Mountain West for a league that welcomes North Dakota State as a new FBS member and the recent addition of Northern Illinois for football only after losing Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State for the Pac-12.
CBS is having Charles Davis step in to replace Gary Danielson, where he will work alongside Brad Nessler on the Big Ten side. Kelly will serve as a primary voice for Mountain West games, which marks a solid appointment for someone just breaking into the booth.
It's worth noting this deal is currently for 2026 only. Kelly made clear back in April that getting back on the sideline is still very much on his mind.
"I still want to make a difference," Kelly has shared publicly. "All the young men that have been under my charge over 35 years, I feel like I have a lot still to give. Even with all this money in college football, they still need mentorship, still need development. Money aside, I have a lot to give, and my motivation is to want to get back to building relationships and successful programs in college football."
That's the language of a guy who isn't finished coaching, and for whatever it's worth, he's earned that confidence. Kelly is 297-109-2 across stops at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame and LSU. Back when the national title game was decided by the BCS rankings, he led Notre Dame to the national title game and then back to the College Football Playoff back in 2020. He left the Irish after an 11-1 season to take the LSU job where he was adamant the resources were much better, and proceeded to go 34-14 over nearly four seasons, before he was eventually fired last year after things went sideways despite entering the fall with a Heisman hopeful at quarterback, and a load of returning talent that led to national title hopes and expectations in Baton Rouge.
For coaches, Kelly in the booth is worth paying attention to, not for the entertainment value, but for the schematic lens and insight he will bring. When you've coached at a high level for so long, you tend to see the game differently than most broadcast analysts who often drive so many coaches crazy with references that are so out of touch. His addition in a conference with a totally new identity could make for some rather entertaining television.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.