Former Brian Kelly has resurfaced in college football more than 200 days after being fired by LSU. He is now serving as an unpaid unofficial consultant for Memphis Tigers under new head coach Charles Huff, who recently joined Memphis after coaching at Southern Miss.
Kelly is part of a group of experienced coaches advising Huff, alongside former Texas coach Charlie Strong and former Florida State and Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher. Memphis hopes this experience can help strengthen its football program as it pursues entry into a major conference like the Big 12 or ACC.
Kelly has openly stated he wants to return to coaching but only for the right opportunity. He has been reconnecting with former colleagues, including current Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, after previously leading Notre Dame to a national title appearance and multiple College Football Playoff berths.
Now 64 years old, Kelly says coaching remains his passion, particularly the relationships with players. He is also embracing new tools such as AI, mentioning he uses Anthropic’s Claude to brainstorm ideas and prepare for future coaching opportunities. Kelly believes AI will become an important part of the next generation of football coaching and game planning.