Brian Kelly reportedly set to join CBS Sports booth for Mountain West games in 2026

Brian Kelly will be back in college football in a new role. Yahoo Sports reported that the former LSU head coach is expected to join CBS Sports as part of its broadcast team for Mountain West games beginning in 2026. The move keeps Kelly connected to the sport’s weekly storyline, even as he steps away from being a full-time coach on the sidelines.

Kelly’s sideline career has made him a familiar voice to fans who track coaching style, in-game adjustments, and recruiting narratives. After his tenure at LSU, he has not been reported as returning to coaching for the 2026 season. Instead, the Yahoo report frames this as an involvement shift, with Kelly moving into studio or booth duties while remaining active in college football coverage.

The Mountain West context matters because the conference’s national media footprint is often built through consistent broadcasts and clear presentation for a wider audience. CBS Sports has increasingly leaned into college football programming across multiple conferences, and adding a recognizable former head coach fits the pattern of blending tactical analysis with mainstream production. For viewers, the expectation is that Kelly’s education, preparation, and offensive defensive tendencies will translate into a broadcast approach focused on what teams are trying to do, not just what they did.

For the conference, a higher-profile analyst presence can also affect how matchups are framed. Mountain West games often decide bowl positioning, conference pride, and recruiting momentum, so the broadcast narrative typically highlights quarterback play, third-down efficiency, tempo, and how teams respond to the pressure of late-season conference situations. A former Power Five coach like Kelly brings a perspective that is likely to be anchored in process, including how game plans are constructed for specific opponents and how staffs prepare against strengths they cannot fully control.

CBS Sports’ decision, if finalized, would also be a notable career pivot. Coaches moving into broadcast roles are common, but the timing and destination can still report what organizations value. Kelly, in particular, is widely associated with program building and organized execution, qualities that broadcast audiences tend to reward when analyst commentary turns into repeatable explanations. In practice, that would mean more than general observations, with the booth role expected to include real-time analysis during play-by-play or between sequences.

That said, the reporting is not a formal announcement from an official league or broadcast outlet in the material reviewed here. As of now, it is still fair to describe the development as reported rather than confirmed, and details such as which specific matchups or weekends Kelly would cover are not established in the information available from the Yahoo Sports report. Fans who track broadcast rosters will want to watch for a CBS Sports press release or a Mountain West communications update closer to the start of the 2026 season.

What to watch next is how CBS structures the booth for Mountain West games and how often Kelly’s role appears across the slate. If he becomes a consistent analyst for most nationally televised Mountain West contests, his influence could shape the conversation around coaching decisions, offensive identity, and defensive adjustments throughout the year. It also positions Kelly as a recurring interpreter of college football’s coaching ecosystem, translating the reality of recruiting and game planning into an audience-friendly format. Even without returning to coaching, his presence could become part of how fans experience Mountain West football in 2026.