Georgia coach Kirby Smart on LSU firing Brian Kelly: 'It's the world we live in'

“At this time in the middle of the season, I think there’s so much built around the playoffs. It’s like everything is boom or bust, and you can’t have a normal season," Smart said.

Smart is the second-longest tenured coach in the SEC, hired to lead the Bulldogs in 2015. He'd held various roles up until that point, administrative assistant at Georgia in 1999 and running backs coach in 2005 , and three under Nick Saban, at LSU (2004), the Miami Dolphins (2006) and Alabama (2007-2015).

He's familiar with the expectations associated with a coaching job at LSU.

“I know it's high expectations," he said. "I coached at LSU, and a guy once told me, ‘That office you’re in, that's not your office. You're borrowing it.' And I knew right then, if you didn't win, you wouldn't be there long.”

Kelly led the Tigers to a 34-14 record and took LSU to the 2022 SEC title game. LSU did not qualify for a College Football Playoff game in three years under Kelly — a particularly harsh blow given the new 12-team format.

Kelly was in his fourth season of a 10-year contract worth about $100 million, leaving LSU with a buyout that could cost more than $52 million. Athletic director Scott Woodward said the school and Kelly are negotiating towards a fair solution for both parties.

LSU's dismissal of Kelly marks the third coaching vacancy in the SEC. Florida will search for Napier's successor in the offseason, and Arkansas parted ways with Sam Pittman in late September.

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