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Former LSU and Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has interviewed for the vacant Maryland head coaching job, according to a report published on Saturday, 14 November 2026. On3 national reporter Pete Nakos reported the interview, adding that Kelly is emerging as a top name in the Terrapins’ search. The development puts the 65-year-old back in the frame for a sideline return just over a year after LSU dismissed him.
Kelly has spent the 2026 season away from coaching, working as a college football analyst for CBS Sports and as a weekly co-host on SiriusXM radio. He has made no secret of wanting another head coaching job, and Maryland is the first opening he is confirmed to have interviewed for. The Terrapins fired Mike Locksley on 21 October 2026 after a 2–5 start, and the programme is 3–6 heading into Saturday’s game against Wisconsin.
Brian Kelly Maryland Job — Quick Reference Summary
| Development | Brian Kelly interviewed for Maryland’s vacant head coaching job |
| Reported | Saturday, 14 November 2026, by On3 national reporter Pete Nakos |
| Coach | Brian Keith Kelly, born 25 October 1961 in Everett, Massachusetts; age 65 |
| Current role | College football analyst for CBS Sports; weekly SiriusXM radio co-host |
| Last coaching job | LSU head coach, 2022–2025; fired 26 October 2025 |
| LSU record | 34–14 across four seasons, with three bowl victories |
| Notre Dame record | 92–39 from 2010–2021; 2012 BCS National Championship Game; College Football Playoff trips in 2018 and 2020 |
| Career head-coaching record | 297–109–2 across five programmes; 200–76 in 22 years at FBS level |
| LSU buyout | Reported $54 million, the second-highest in college football history |
| Maryland vacancy | Mike Locksley dismissed 21 October 2026 after a 2–5 start |
| Maryland record in 2026 | 3–6 overall, 1–5 in the Big Ten, before Saturday’s game against Wisconsin |
| Interview status | Interview held; Kelly described by On3 as a top name in the search; no hire announced |
| Other jobs linked | Kelly had expressed interest in the Baylor, Maryland and NC State openings; NC State hired Philip Rivers on Friday, 13 November 2026 |
How the Maryland Opening Reached Brian Kelly
Maryland’s season unravelled quickly. Locksley was dismissed in late October in what the university described as a mutual decision, after the Terrapins started 2–5. The team has won once since, and the search for his replacement has run in parallel with the final weeks of the regular season.
Kelly’s name surfaced early. Nakos had already listed him as a candidate for the Maryland and NC State jobs, and Kelly himself had spoken warmly about the Terrapins’ position on SiriusXM radio. He called the Big Ten’s appeal obvious and described Maryland as sitting in a fertile recruiting area, comments that read very differently now that an interview has taken place.
The timing suits both sides. Maryland can move before the early signing period shapes its next recruiting class, while Kelly can present a full coaching record rather than a single season of television work. Nothing has been agreed, and On3 stressed that nothing is set in stone, but the interview itself is the clearest sign yet that Kelly’s return is a live possibility rather than a talking point.
What Went Wrong for Kelly at LSU
Kelly arrived at LSU in late 2021 as one of the biggest hires in college football, leaving Notre Dame — a job he had once called his dream post — for a 10-year deal in Baton Rouge. His first season delivered an SEC West title and a trip to the conference championship game, where Georgia beat the Tigers. Three bowl victories followed across his four seasons, and his overall record of 34–14 would count as a success at most programmes.
It was not enough at LSU. The Tigers measure themselves by national championships, and Kelly said so himself in a later interview with Front Office Sports, admitting he had not lived up to the standards set at the programme. The end came swiftly: LSU lost 49–25 at home to Texas A&M on Saturday, 25 October 2025, and Kelly was fired the next day.
The cost of that decision was striking. His buyout was reported at $54 million, the second-highest in college football history behind the $76 million Texas A&M paid to dismiss Jimbo Fisher in 2023. LSU has since moved on, hiring Lane Kiffin, and the Tigers are 6–3 in Kiffin’s first season. Kelly, meanwhile, has spent a year watching the sport he coached for more than three decades from a studio chair.
The $54 Million Buyout and a Year in the Broadcast Booth
Few coaches get a second act quite like this one. Kelly’s buyout gave him financial security, and his move into broadcasting kept him visible without the weekly pressure of a sideline. His CBS Sports role and SiriusXM appearances let him talk about the game every week, and he used those platforms to make his intentions plain.
In early November he told listeners he was still interested in leading a programme if the fit was right, while taking care not to turn the appearance into a pitch for himself. He had already spoken about Florida State in similar terms, calling that job an honour and a privilege. The Maryland interview shows those comments were more than broadcast filler.
The year away may also have helped his case. Kelly’s career record of 297–109–2 across five programmes includes two Division II national championships at Grand Valley State, where he coached from 1991 to 2003. He then rebuilt Central Michigan and Cincinnati before his 12 seasons at Notre Dame, where he took the 2012 team to the BCS National Championship Game and reached the College Football Playoff in 2018 and 2020. That is a body of work few available coaches can match. Young stars are asked to carry teams sooner than ever, as the site’s recent Yaxel Lendeborg report showed.
Why Maryland Sees Kelly as a Fit
Maryland is a programme that has struggled for consistency across the past few decades, and the appeal of Kelly is straightforward: he has won everywhere he has coached. The Terrapins play in the Big Ten, recruit in a talent-rich corridor, and need a coach who can raise the floor quickly rather than promise a slow rebuild.
Kelly’s age, 65, will feature in the debate. He has been coaching continuously since 1983, when he started as a college assistant, and he has not served as an assistant coach since 1990. His supporters will argue that experience is exactly what Maryland needs, while sceptics will ask how long a coach of his age plans to stay.
The fit question also runs the other way. Kelly’s LSU exit showed he can struggle when a programme’s expectations outrun its patience, and Maryland’s resources are a long way from Baton Rouge. His own words on SiriusXM suggest he has thought about that, praising the recruiting ground around College Park rather than the size of the budget. If the interview went as well as reports suggest, both sides have already started answering those doubts.
The Other Names in the Terrapins’ Search
Kelly is not the only coach Maryland has considered, but the field narrowed this week. NC State, another programme Kelly had been linked with, announced on Friday, 13 November 2026 that Philip Rivers will become its next head coach. That removes one landing spot from Kelly’s list and sharpens the focus on College Park.
Maryland has not publicly confirmed any other interviewees, and no other candidate has been reported as a frontrunner. The programme’s fans have voiced frustration at the pace of the search, but a hire of Kelly’s standing would end that debate quickly. For now, the only confirmed step is the interview itself, and the Terrapins have given no public timetable for an announcement.
The wider coaching carousel is moving fast around them. Baylor is also searching, and several programmes are waiting for the regular season to end before making changes. Maryland’s advantage is that its vacancy opened in October, giving it a head start — an advantage it loses if the search drags into December.
What Happens Next in College Park
The immediate focus is Saturday’s game against Wisconsin, where Maryland will try to improve on a 3–6 record. The coaching search will continue in the background, and the interview with Kelly suggests it is reaching a decisive stage. If the Terrapins want him, the next step is a formal offer and contract talks; if they hesitate, Kelly’s name will stay live for every other opening that appears. The spotlight is unforgiving at this level, as the site’s recent UFC 334 coverage showed.
For Kelly, the stakes are personal. A return at Maryland would be his sixth head coaching job and his first in the Big Ten, a conference he has never coached in. It would also be a chance to answer the question that has followed him since LSU: whether a coach with nearly 300 career wins can still build a winner at a programme that has not had one for years. The interview is only a first step, but after a year in the studio, Kelly is back in the room where those decisions get made.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Brian Kelly been hired as Maryland’s head coach?
No. Kelly has interviewed for the job, according to On3’s Pete Nakos, and is described as a top name in the search. Maryland has not announced a hire, and no contract has been reported.
Why did LSU fire Brian Kelly?
LSU dismissed Kelly on 26 October 2025, the day after a 49–25 home defeat by Texas A&M. He finished 34–14 across four seasons, but the programme’s championship expectations were not met. His buyout was reported at $54 million.
What is Brian Kelly doing now?
Kelly works as a college football analyst for CBS Sports and as a weekly co-host on SiriusXM radio. He has held both roles through the 2026 season while expressing interest in returning to coaching.
What is Brian Kelly’s career coaching record?
Kelly is 297–109–2 as a head coach across five programmes: Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame and LSU. At FBS level over 22 years, his record is 200–76. He has twice been named the Associated Press Coach of the Year.
Who else has Maryland considered for the job?
Maryland has not publicly confirmed other interviewees. Kelly had also been linked with the NC State opening, but NC State hired Philip Rivers on Friday, 13 November 2026. Other names in the Terrapins’ search have not been publicly verified.
When will Maryland announce its new head coach?
No timetable has been publicly confirmed. The search began when Mike Locksley was dismissed on 21 October 2026, and an announcement could come once the regular season ends, but that timing is not publicly verified.
Myths vs Facts
Myth: Brian Kelly has already agreed to coach Maryland.
Fact: Only an interview has been reported. No hire, agreement or contract has been announced by Maryland or confirmed by Kelly.
Myth: Kelly was fired by LSU because of one bad defeat.
Fact: The 49–25 loss to Texas A&M was the final trigger, but the decision followed four seasons in which a 34–14 record fell short of LSU’s championship standard, something Kelly himself later acknowledged.
Myth: Kelly has been out of football entirely since leaving LSU.
Fact: He has worked throughout 2026 as a CBS Sports analyst and a SiriusXM co-host, staying close to the game while waiting for the right coaching opening.
