Brian Kelly’s three children, Patrick, Kenzel, and Grace, have built their own careers in and around college football even as their father’s coaching career took a dramatic turn in 2025.
Here is an updated look at who they are and what each of them has been doing.
Who is Brian Kelly?
Brian Kelly is a longtime American college football coach with more than three decades on the sidelines.
He built his career at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, and Notre Dame before taking over as head coach at LSU in December 2021.
Kelly led LSU to an SEC West title in 2022 and a 34-14 overall record during his tenure. However, LSU fired him in October 2025 after the Tigers started the season 5-3 and lost to Texas A&M.
The dismissal turned into a lengthy legal dispute over his roughly $54 million contract buyout before LSU formally terminated him “without cause” that November.
Kelly has not returned to coaching since. In June 2026, he took a broadcasting role with CBS Sports as a color analyst for Mountain West games, while also doing informal consulting work for Memphis’s program.
He has said he is open to coaching again if the right opportunity comes along.
Who are Brian Kelly Kids?
Brian Kelly and his wife, Paqui, have three children together: sons Patrick and Kenzel, and daughter Grace. All three have stayed close to football or to their father’s orbit in different ways.
The family made headlines in February 2023 when a report claimed Brian had filed for divorce from Paqui.
Patrick, Kenzel, and Grace each posted publicly to dispute the story within a day, and the couple has remained together since. That episode aside, each of the three siblings has built a separate career path.
Patrick Kelly
Patrick is Brian Kelly’s oldest child and a Notre Dame graduate. He worked on his father’s staff at LSU for four years, starting as an offensive graduate assistant in 2022 before being promoted to recruiting specialist and then to football support and operations coordinator by early 2025.
When LSU moved on from his father and hired Lane Kiffin, Patrick’s role at the school ended as well.
In May 2026, new Ole Miss coach Pete Golding hired Patrick as assistant director of football support, following several other former LSU staffers who also left for Ole Miss that offseason.
Kenzel Kelly
Kenzel is Brian Kelly’s younger son and a linebacker who transferred to LSU from Grand Valley State in 2024.
He appeared mostly on special teams behind LSU’s veteran linebacker corps and played out his final season of eligibility with the Tigers in 2025.
Kenzel drew attention that November when he said LSU’s new leadership had blocked his father from attending Senior Day following Brian’s firing.
He wore a T-shirt with his father’s initials under his jersey that night and spoke about the situation publicly on social media.
Grace Kelly
Grace is Brian Kelly’s only daughter and a Notre Dame graduate with a double major in political science and film, television, and theater.
She later worked as a graduate assistant with LSU’s School of Veterinary Medicine, where she helped with the school’s social media and communications work.
Grace has also been active with the Kelly Cares Foundation, the charity her parents started after her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis.
According to her professional profile, she has since moved into a marketing role with Events for Athletes First.
Bottom Line
Brian Kelly’s coaching career at LSU ended in October 2025, and he has since moved into broadcasting with CBS Sports. His son Patrick followed the coaching staff shakeup by taking a new job at Ole Miss in 2026.
Kenzel finished his college football career at LSU in 2025 after transferring in from Grand Valley State. Grace has built a career outside football entirely, splitting her focus between marketing work and the family’s cancer charity.
The Kelly family also drew public attention in 2023 when the three siblings jointly shut down false divorce reports about their parents.
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