Joel Klatt breaks down Brian Kelly hire as LSU head coach

Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt broke down LSU’s recent hiring of Brian Kelly as head coach on his Breaking The Huddle program, analyzing the big change. Klatt commended LSU on reaching out for a big name coach to take over the program, but expressed his concerns for an early mistake by the newest Tigers coach after arriving in Louisiana.

Joel Klatt on Brian Kelly hiring

“LSU went out and got Brian Kelly,” began Klatt as he explained the positives for LSU. “And Brian Kelly is one of the best coaches in our sport. If you remember — when Clay Helton was fired at USC earlier this season — I said at that moment USC should swing big. It’s the same philosophy for LSU. These are pre-eminent programs, these are great programs historically. And they should have swung big. And there was no name that should have been off the list.

“I thought that swinging big was going to pay dividends and both of those programs did. LSU went out and they got Brian Kelly. This guy has just won more games in the history of one of the most storied programs. Any coach in their history — he’s the winningest coach in Notre Dame history. He had just won double digit games for four straight years at Notre Dame — that had never been done in their school’s history. So he was doing things there that were really unprecedented. Now he’s gonna have a chance, I think even more so, to compete for a national title.”

Klatt followed his praise for the move with his take on how Kelly will struggle to fit in right away at LSU. Shortly after arriving at the school, Kelly spoke to fans at a basketball game. His speech drew criticisms around the nation as he appeared to be speaking in an accent that he never had while at Notre Dame.

“Coaches run in two different currencies. Their currency with their players is authenticity, and their currency with their fans is wins. Those are the two currencies that you have to have and operate in if you’re a head coach. Wins, we understand. That’s objective. You get it. You’ve got a scoreboard — wins and losses. That’s how fans love or don’t love their coach.

“But for a team, within a team you have to understand the team makeup, the philosophy of a team. The number one currency a coach has with his players is authenticity. And when you use a fake accent — not great for your authenticity.

“I mean come on Brian. I get it, you got wrapped up in it. And listen I talk on stage, in the arena — it’s not easy and there’s an echo. But I felt like we were five seconds away from him [mimicking Ed Orgeron saying] ‘Geaux Tigers!’

“Is Coach O back? What are we doing? Authenticity. Maybe not for the fans because remember the fans don’t care about anything other than wins and losses. But authenticity with your players is vital as a coach. Brian, you’re not southern. But you don’t have to be, that’s the beauty of it. Your coaches and your players — they don’t care if you’re southern. You don’t have to be. You don’t have to be authentically Louisiana to be the LSU head coach. You know what you have to do? Win. Win. And if you peddle in your true authentic self, I think you’ll do that.”