Brian Kelly’s next move is a broadcast booth, not a sideline. After being fired by LSU last October, the former LSU and Notre Dame head coach is joining CBS Sports as an analyst and studio voice for the 2026 season, a clear sign that his football career is taking a new national turn.
The timing is notable because Kelly is not just returning to the sport in a loose, guest-role sense. CBS Sports is adding him to both game broadcasts and studio programming, which gives him a much broader platform than a one-off appearance. That matters for a coach whose résumé already includes major jobs at LSU and Notre Dame, and whose perspective should fit naturally in a network setting that values detailed football analysis.
Kelly's CBS schedule starts with a booth debut
Kelly will make his booth debut on Saturday, Aug. 29, when Jacksonville State faces North Dakota State in Fargo, N.D. That assignment gives him an immediate chance to move from studio analysis into live game commentary, and it also places him in a familiar football environment right away.
This spring, Kelly already tested the transition by serving as a studio analyst for CBS Sports Network’s NFL Draft coverage. That was an early indication that the network saw him as more than a temporary voice. On Monday, CBS Sports formalized the next step by announcing that Kelly will be part of its analyst rotation and studio coverage.
The move fits a broader pattern for former coaches who shift into media after leaving major programs, but Kelly’s case carries a little more weight because of how abruptly it followed his LSU tenure. He went 34-14 in three-plus years in Baton Rouge, a record that is strong enough to explain why he remained a prominent figure even after the firing, and also strong enough to make him a useful national analyst.
CBS is also adding Doug Pederson as an analyst for 10 games this fall, which suggests the network is leaning into experienced coaching voices. For Kelly, that creates a clear lane: interpret what coaches see, explain what teams are trying to do, and turn high-level football knowledge into something viewers can follow in real time.
The larger takeaway is simple. Brian Kelly is not disappearing from the sport after LSU. He is moving into a different kind of spotlight, one that will ask him to break down the game instead of manage it. And for CBS Sports, that is a notable addition heading into the 2026 season.
