I wish that Michigan would have hired Kelly instead

My dad taught at a branch of LSU for 20+ years. I went to high school down there and my parents still live there.

LSU elicits a different statewide loyalty than most places, and it goes all the way back to Huey Long's involvement in the university and the football program. Huey used the pull of LSU football to unify the state, and that still matters, even almost 100 years later.

Notre Dame was far nicer to Brian Kelly than LSU will be. Tiger fans are absolutely rabid about their team, and they aren't going to put up with Kelly's crap for more than two years. He's not the coach that Saban is; and he's not the recruiter that Saban, Miles, and Orgeron were/are. This is going to get really ugly really fast in Baton Rouge, and, to the OP's original point, LSU will do what it takes to protect their football program.