Brian Kelly lands CBS role as a Mountain West game broadcaster, not an on-field return

Brian Kelly is set to return to college football coverage in a new way for the 2026 season, taking a broadcasting role with CBS rather than stepping back into an on-field coaching job, according to a report cited by Yahoo Sports. Kelly’s next stop will be the booth for Mountain West games, where he is expected to be one part of a three-person broadcast team.

The transition is notable because Kelly is coming off his time at LSU, where he was dismissed as head coach. Rather than using the typical offseason window to pursue another coordinator or head coaching vacancy, he is moving into media duties that allow him to stay close to the sport’s day-to-day storylines without holding a staff title.

For CBS and the Mountain West, hiring a coach with high-profile Power Five experience has the potential to add credibility and context for viewers, especially in games where coaching decisions, quarterback usage, and game-management choices often decide tight contests. Kelly’s background as a head coach is expected to shape his broadcast perspective, with an emphasis on how strategy plays out across full-game rhythms.

The report also frames the arrangement as a multi-voice booth. That matters because it suggests CBS is looking for a balance between traditional play-calling and analysis, with Kelly positioned to offer the tactical lens a former head coach brings, while other announcers handle the real-time narration and color.

Kelly’s move also reflects a broader pattern in college football media. Coaches who leave high-pressure sideline roles sometimes shift to national broadcasts to maintain relevance and build a second career track. In the short term, it keeps his name in front of fans during the season, even as he avoids the recruiting, practice, and roster demands that come with coaching.

For LSU, the timing reinforces that the program’s football identity will continue to be built without Kelly on the staff. A coaching change reshapes recruiting relationships and the way a roster is recruited and developed. Even though this CBS assignment does not directly affect LSU games, it can influence how fans and prospects interpret the program’s momentum during the same season window.

What to watch next is how Kelly’s broadcast role is rolled out across the Mountain West slate, including how CBS structures the booth and what kind of game situations the network highlights during his segments. It will also be worth monitoring whether his work in the booth is treated as a long-term landing spot or as an interim step before a return to coaching.

In the meantime, the 2026 season promises an added layer of coaching insight for viewers, with Kelly trading the sideline for the analyst chair for Mountain West coverage on CBS. The shift may not change the on-field coaching carousel, but it does change who is doing the explaining once the whistles stop.