Brian Kelly doesn’t misspeak.
Sure, LSU’s second-year coach can occasionally see his arid-dry wit lead him into some interesting directions – such as last month suggesting the reasons why he views recruiting in the South as superior to other areas or why the power structure of NFL franchises will keep him out of pro football – but Kelly is far too smart to ever be reckless.
So when college football fans, presumably many of them fans of Kelly’s defending SEC Western Division champion Tigers, filed into hear him speak at the Houston Touchdown Club Tuesday, Kelly knew his words wouldn’t remain boxed in the room.
Especially when Kelly was asked about the impending additions of both Oklahoma and Texas to the juggernaut-league’s membership.
“Those decisions are way above my pay grade,” Kelly said, per the Houston Chronicle’s Brent Zwerneman, who was on hand for the event inside Omni Galleria. “(SEC Commissioner) Greg Sankey is paid way more money than me to make those decisions.
“The SEC’s the preeminent college football conference, so when you’re looking in to bring in others, why wouldn’t you want to be a part of it? Texas and Oklahoma have great history and tradition.”
Perhaps a bit of humility from Kelly; per terms of Kelly’s LSU contract, he’s paid nearly $10 million per year – his $9.97m salary was approximately $1.3m more than he earned at Notre Dame, which sources said was $8.6m – while the SEC disclosed in an Freedom of Information request to USA Today that Sankey was paid $3.7m in 2021 and was on target, per sources, to earn approximately $4m in the most recent fiscal year.
Kelly likewise imparted a shot at rival Alabama while he also extolled the atmosphere of college football.
“I love the environment of a college stadium, I love coming out on that field,” Kelly said, just before he delivered the dagger-line that likely united virtually all fans in attendance.
“I love beating Alabama.”
In his first-ever meeting as LSU’s head coach but in his third overall against Nick Saban, the previous two coming in quests for that elusive national title at Notre Dame, Kelly edged the Tide in overtime and knocked ’Bama from College Football Playoff contention last fall.
As for LSU representing the SEC West in Atlanta last December against Georgia in Kelly’s debut SEC season, he downplayed the Tigers’ surprising appearance.
“You’ve got to win the whole SEC,” Kelly told the crowd, per Zwerneman. “We took a bite of the apple but didn’t get the whole thing.”
The Tigers open their 2023 season at Florida State Sept. 3, host in-state Football Championship Subdivision and Historically Black College and University tradition-rich program Grambling State six days later and then uncork a stretch of five consecutive games against SEC opponents.