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LSU, USC get new head football coaches

LSU is hiring Brian Kelly away from Notre Dame, a stunning move by one of the most accomplished coaches in college football jumping from the sport’s most storied program to a Southeastern Conference powerhouse.

The move was confirmed Monday night by a person familiar with the decision who spoke to The Associated Press only on condition of anonymity because neither school was prepared to make an official announcement. Yahoo! Sports first reported the hire.

It was the second bombshell in college football in as many days, coming a little more than 24 hours after Southern California lured Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma. LSU might have topped it by luring Kelly from South Bend to Baton Rouge.

The 60-year-old Kelly became t he winningest coach in Notre Dame history earlier this season, surpassing Knute Rockne. In 12 seasons with the Fighting Irish, Kelly is 113-40, including the current run of five straight double-digit victory seasons.

Notre Dame completed an 11-1 season on Saturday and still is in contention to reach the College Football Playoff for the third time in the last four years.

No previous Notre Dame coach has ever left the Irish, winners of eight national championships as voted on by the AP, to take a job at another school.

LSU’s coaching search started in October, when it reached an agreement to part ways with coach Ed Orgeron at the end of the season. The change came less than two years after Coach O led the Tigers to a national championship.

The Tigers finished a 6-6 regular season on Saturday, upsetting Texas A&M at home in Orgeron’s last game.

Kelly is agreeing to take over the Tigers just a few weeks after he had publicly dismissed the idea of moving on when asked about possibly being a candidate at USC.

“No. I mean, look, I think Mike Tomlin had the best line, right?” Kelly told reporters, referring to the Pittsburgh Steelers coach. “Unless that fairy godmother comes by with that $250 million check, my wife would want to take a look at it first. I’d have to run it by her.”

Riley eager to return

USC Trojans to winning ways

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Standing on the top rim of the venerable Coliseum on a 76-degree autumn Monday, Lincoln Riley took a glance behind him at the Los Angeles panorama stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Hollywood sign to the gleaming downtown skyscrapers.

“Wow. Is this real?” Riley asked. “Unbelievable.”

Southern California appeared to be asking itself the same rhetorical questions after a surprising 36-hour courtship ended with Riley in charge of restoring the Trojans to a place atop the college football world.

Riley arrived in sunny Los Angeles one day after he agreed to leave Oklahoma following five successful seasons in charge. He addressed his new players on campus before receiving his official welcome at the Coliseum in what he called “a surreal moment.”

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