Brian Kelly, a veteran college football coach with decades of experience, is facing public reaction following his debut as a color commentator for CBS Sports. His performance during the Jacksonville State-North Dakota State game on Saturday, August 29, 2026, drew a significant amount of online commentary.
Kelly, 64, acknowledged during the broadcast that he would need to improve his performance. "I’ll have to get better to keep up with you guys, but thanks for making this one a little bit easier than I thought," he said, addressing his broadcast partners Rich Waltz and Adam Breneman.
During the second quarter, as the stadium clock malfunctioned during a critical two-minute drive, Kelly drew a parallel to his coaching days. "This would be a Monday morning meeting with the game management crew in my office, if I’m at home and the clock’s running," he remarked. When prompted by Breneman for specifics, Kelly stated, "Just, ‘You guys need to do a better job,’ and I’d leave it at that."
Online observers, however, offered less constructive feedback. Some criticized Kelly for what they perceived as excuses, with one user commenting, "Brian Kelly couldn’t make it through ONE broadcast without making an excuse for a head coach." Another commenter questioned, "Can he be fired at this yet?" Others also humorously referenced his distinct Southern accent, which gained attention during his tenure at LSU.
It was announced in July that Kelly would join CBS Sports as an analyst for select college football games and would also be a regular on the network’s Tuesday show, "Inside College Football." Prior to this, Kelly served as a studio analyst for CBS Sports Network's NFL draft coverage in April.
Kelly previously coached for over four decades in college football, most recently with LSU, where he compiled a 34-14 record over three-plus seasons before his departure in October 2025. He also had a lengthy tenure as head coach at Notre Dame. The broadcast on Saturday marked his first official outing as a color commentator for CBS Sports.