The SEC had a busy week in football during the first full week of June, with one major hiring and two big commitments representing some of the spiciest storylines of the week. Summer is heating up in the college football world as the baseball season comes to a close.
Of course, no piece of news was bigger than Brian Kelly finding a new, unpaid job. That is a move that is sure to infuriate his old employer. Other than that, there were still some notable recruiting wins in the conference worth mentioning.
Let's go over some of the major happenings in the "It Just Means More" conference during this past week:
Brian Kelly was hired at Memphis in an unpaid role that screws over LSU
The Memphis Tigers and Kelly found a mutually beneficial unpaid consultant scenario for the 64-year-old this week. Kelly, who was fired from the LSU Tigers' head coaching position in November, purposefully didn't take a salary so he could get his full severance from LSU. His buyout language dictated that he actively look for a new role, but he found a loophole that addressed the salary portion. Shrewd move, BK.
It was unclear going into the week whether Kelly had a future in coaching. I recently got the chance to speak to several high-level Notre Dame Fighting Irish football alums, Jerome "The Bus" Bettis and Joe Theismann, and they had differing takes on Kelly. Bettis thought Kelly was a shoo-in to continue coaching, while Theismann isn't sure what college football even looks for in a coach anymore and hinted it'd be an uphill climb for Kelly. The role Kelly accepted doesn't directly answer the question on if he'll be a head coach again.
Truthfully, this role for Kelly is ambiguous. Is it a genuine springboard to another job, or just a filler to keep him occupied after being abruptly sent out of Baton Rouge? Who knows. Either way, Kelly will be working under Charles Huff, who just elevated a lowly Southern Miss Golden Eagles in 2025 to get the Memphis gig.
Texas beats Ohio State for Kasi Currie, and probably Marcus Fakatou soon
In Austin, the Texas Longhorns continued their indefinite run of recruiting dominance with a victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes for 4-star Sierra Canyon Trailblazers defensive tackle Kasi Currie. Texas took a late lead in Currie's recruitment with a stronger financial offer that proved too good to turn down.
Currie's teammate at Sierra Canyon, fellow DT Marcus Fakatou, is probably not far behind. The two were seen as a package deal, and it seems as though the two Los Angeles natives are headed to Central Texas in 2027.
Florida renovating the 'Swamp'
The Florida Gators are investing $1.45 billion into renovations for Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville. As part of the renovations, 50 new luxury boxes will be built during the project, which is set to conclude in 2030.
Per TheSwampRenovation.com, “The project will be funded through a combination of private giving, capital reserves, project-generated revenues, and financing mechanisms, including long-term debt, through approval of the Florida Board of Governors. The funding plan is designed to support the project while maintaining the long-term financial health of Florida Athletics.”
The BHG Stadium renovation project features an exorbitant price tag. We'll see if that affects UF's athletic department's spending in the coming years, one way or another.
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