LSU Massively Overpaid Brian Kelly, Recent Audit Shows

In his first year with the Tigers, the coach led the program to a 10–4 record.

LSU overpaid football coach Brian Kelly by more than $1 million in 2022, according to an audit of the school’s athletic department by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office.

The report released this week revealed that the first-year Tigers coach was overpaid by $1,001,368 in supplemental payments with the university making double payments for a few months to Kelly and his LLC. LSU management discovered this in November 2022, and according to the report, the university and Kelly “have enacted an adjusted payment schedule so the amount of overpayment will be recouped by the conclusion of fiscal year 2023.” 

The error in Kelly’s payment, though, was not the only one the auditors found. According to the report, LSU misclassified almost $6.7 million in severance payments as coaching salaries, bonuses and benefits. Additionally, on its NCAA Financial Report, debt amounting to nearly $140 million was omitted. 

Last January, Kelly signed a 10-year contract worth $95 million, plus there are a slew of benefits that make him among the highest-paid public university coaches. The Tigers went 10–4 (6–2 SEC) last season, ending 2022 with a strong Citrus Bowl win over Purdue (63–7).