Brian Kelly is one of the most formidable names among college football coaches. His career is 34 years strong, and he is now in charge of the historic LSU Tigers. All those years, some championship titles, and a brilliant record call for some heavyweight numbers on that salary paycheck. Brian Kelly’s annual salary is a jaw-dropping $9.5 million at LSU, a price that is seeing some backlash considering how he has fared in his stay in Baton Rouge so far. Here’s a look at all the fortune the veteran HC has amassed.
What is Brian Kelly’s net worth?
Brian Kelly’s net worth in 2025 stands at $35 million, which is a commanding figure that matches his status. As of October 2024, Kelly is the 9th-highest-paid coach in college football, with a salary of $9.9 million in 2024. Not much is known about his brand sponsorships. However, that total figure has come after stints at multiple programs, including a 12-year stint with Notre Dame.
He has a 73% success rate in college football and has 2 Div-II National Championships under his belt. They came during his first head coaching job at Grand Valley State, and he has reached conference championship titles multiple times with other programs. At LSU, the waters are getting a little hot for him, considering a slight dip in his record with the Tigers. But the odds are all set for him to do better and hopefully secure the future of his long contract with the program.
Brian Kelly’s contract breakdown
Kelly is signed on as the Tigers’ HC for a period of 10 years and for a total pay of $95 million. That means until 2031, LSU fans will be seeing Kelly on the sidelines. His base pay for 2025 stands at $9.4 million. It reaches its peak in Kelly’s final year in 2031, standing at $10 million.
Here’s what we know about the brownie points the LSU coach can earn. Every full season that Kelly completes in Baton Rouge adds $500,000 to his base pay. Yep, he just has to last season after season to get that amount each year. And Kelly will receive another $500,000 if he becomes bowl-eligible this season. Last year, these two added incentives made his total pay reach just shy of $10 million.
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And that’s not all. Brian Kelly has won conference championships before and has even made a trip to the SEC Championship in his first year with LSU. If the Tigers win an SEC or National title under Kelly, his incentives can add up to $1.35 million. Following a championship win, $500,000 is automatically added to his yearly salary until the end of his contract. The championship-winning factor also defines his buyout. Kelly will be eligible for 100% of his remaining salary if he wins a Natty and is let go afterwards. But if he is Natty-less, he will be owed 90% of his remaining pay. As of November 2024, his buyout stands at $61,738,333.
Year
Base Salary
2022
$9,000,000
2023
$9,200,000
2024
$9,200,000
2025
$9,400,000
2026
$9,400,000
2027
$9,600,000
2028
$9,600,000
2029
$9,800,000
2030
$9,800,000
2031
$10,000,000
What is Brian Kelly’s salary?
Taking into account his eligible incentives from last year, Brian Kelly should have made $10.2 million. However, USA Today lists his 2024 pay as $9.9 million. This year, Brian Kelly can be earning more than 10 million if he makes it through the whole season, earns a bowl game, and wins a championship. In his first year with the Tigers, Kelly jumped to a $9.8 million paycheck. It then rose to 9.9 million in 2023 and 2024. Because his base pay is $9.4 million this year, that number is sure to continue its uptick.
Year
Salary
2024
$9,975,000
2023
$9,975,000
2022
$9,810,000
Brian Kelly’s career earnings
Brian Kelly’s first head coaching role was at Grand Valley State, where he spent 13 seasons, earned 2 national titles, and also multiple conference titles. From there, he went to Central Michigan. Not much is known of his pay from this period of his coaching. USA Today’s record on Brian Kelly’s tenure goes back to his 2006 season with Central Michigan, where he earned a mere $184,897. Kelly’s salary hit the $1 million mark in 2009, as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats. At Notre Dame, his highest pay came in his last year with the Irish, standing at $2.6 million. From there, his salary jumped to the $10 million threshold at LSU.
Year
Team
Total Earnings
2006
Central Michigan
$184,897
2007
Cincinnati Bearcats
$835,000
2008
Cincinnati Bearcats
–
2009
Cincinnati Bearcats
$1,362,500
2010
Notre Dame
$0
2011
Notre Dame
$0
2012
Notre Dame
$2,424,301
2013
Notre Dame
$1,088,179
2014
Notre Dame
$1,457,284
2015
Notre Dame
$1,187,272
2016
Notre Dame
$1,624,730
2017
Notre Dame
$1,645,867
2018
Notre Dame
$2,129,638
2019
Notre Dame
$1,665,020
2020
Notre Dame
$1,863,893
2021
Notre Dame
$2,670,213
2022
LSU
$9,810,000
2023
LSU
$9,975,000
2024
LSU
$9,975,000
Brian Kelly’s college and professional career
Brian Kelly donned the hat of a college football HC in 1991 at Grand Valley State. He began his career with a 9-3 record and even made it to the first round of the NCAA Div-II Championship. Next year. He won his first conference title with the team when it was in the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference. He won 3 more of those titles and continued that trend when Grand Valley State moved to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He ended his stint with the Lakers in 2003 and won two National Championships towards the end.
From there, he moved to Div-I, coaching Central Michigan. He was there for only 3 seasons, where he scored one of his lowest records, 4-7, in 2004. But he won the Chippewas a Mid-American Conference title in 2006. From there, he arrived to coach Notre Dame, one of the most elite football programs. Kelly won one National Championship with the Fighting Irish in 2012, but vacated it. They also vacated their 2013 season. He ended his career with Notre Dame in 2021, resigning before the bowl game.
At LSU, his record stands at 29-11, and he is gearing up for a make-or-break season. Brian Kelly is seeing a lot of hype around his 2025 squad, which has to get over the single-digit finish of last year. He has one of the strongest offenses in college football at the moment, making this campaign a really exciting one.
A look at Brian Kelly’s brand endorsements
Not much is known about Brian Kelly’s sponsorships or collaborations with brands. But Kelly’s fortune also enables him to give back to college football. He and his wife, Paqui Kelly, recently announced that they will put together $1 million as NIL funding for the Tigers’ NIL collective. It is called the ‘Kelly Family Million Dollar Match Challenge,’ and the funds will go to the Tiger Athletic Foundation’s Excellence Fund.
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