Former LSU coach Brian Kelly said it was tough to see the program that fired him dismantle Clemson in its season opener.
"I'll be honest, I had a hard time watching it," Kelly admitted on "SiriusXM College Sports Radio." "But I don't think it was just LSU; it was just the first weekend truly of college football, and it was hard.
"You've been doing it for 35 years, and not to be part of that process - my wife, she wanted to kill me. She was like, 'What's wrong with you?' What was wrong was that I wasn't on the sidelines, and I had to deal with it and get through it."
LSU fired Kelly eight games into the 2025 season, ending his four-year run with the team. He compiled a 34-14 record as the Tigers' head coach but never reached the College Football Playoff.
This is the first season in 35 years that Kelly, who's now a color commentator for CBS Sports, won't be a college football head coach. He's assumed the role at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and LSU.
LSU's yard differential (plus-499) in Lane Kiffin's debut was greater than in any Power 4 matchup of Kelly's tenure, according to TruMedia. After Clemson opened the scoring with a field goal, Kiffin's group exploded for 51 consecutive points en route to a 51-10 victory.
"There's no mistaking it, LSU looked great," Kelly added. "Obviously, it's a little bit of both - was Clemson maybe not as good as we thought? And certainly LSU was on fire, and that showed in the game.
"But ... it's one game. Let's see what this looks like throughout the entire year. Can they keep the same energy? But they looked really good."
LSU will look to improve to 2-0 against Louisiana Tech on Saturday before facing Kiffin's former team, Ole Miss, in Week 3.
