This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/lsu as College Football Analysts Predict LSU Tigers Next Head Coach Amid Brian Kelly Firing. The LSU Tigers will have a new decision-maker in Baton Rouge next season following the news of Brian Kelly being relieved of his duties on Sunday.

LSU athletic director Scott Woodward resigned under pressure from the post he’s held for six years on Thursday night, four days after the firing of football coach Brian Kelly and a day after Republican Gov. Jeff Landry said Woodward would not hire Kelly’s replacement.

The beginning of the 2025 college football season promised to be an exciting one for the LSU Tigers. LSU kicked off the season with a 4-0 record, including a significant 17-10 victory against the then-No. 4 Clemson Tigers on the road.

As LSU searches for a new coach, Brian Kelly also faces a decision about his future. One SEC program is being floated as Kelly's most likely next stop.

While negotiations are still ongoing between both parties, Kelly's contractual buyout of more than $50 million would be the second largest ever paid to a college football coach -- behind only Jimbo Fisher, who received more than $76 million after being fired by Texas A&M in November 2023.

This year’s coaching carousel is already spinning out of control, so let’s predict who will fill some of these openings.

Former LSU coach Ed Orgeron said he'd "love to" return to the school as coach in an ESPN interview on Oct. 29 after winning a championship in 2019.

Being the coach to elevate a historic underachiever is enticing. Elko also has followed college football for decades. He knows that outside Ohio State and Michigan, Penn State has had fewer barriers to success over the years, including no rival like Texas in the same state.

LSU abruptly firing Kelly opens one of college football's most prestigious jobs, where the three most recent coaches won national titles.

The sudden availability of the LSU job creates a hiring nightmare for the Gators, as top coaching candidates will now prioritize what many consider a top-five position in college football.

Legendary college football coach Nick Saban suggested that Lane Kiffin's current job as head coach of Ole Miss may be better than the openings in the SEC.