Brian Kelly thinks his successor can do at LSU what he couldn’t.

The Tigers fired Kelly in October after a 49-25 home loss to Texas A&M, LSU’s third loss in four games, and brought in Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss in November, a dramatic move right before the Rebels competed in the College Football Playoff. In four years at LSU, Kelly went 34-14 and failed to win a championship for a program with a win-now mindset.

In an interview Wednesday with USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer and John Brice, Kelly said he believes Kiffin can get it done.

“I think so,” he said about whether Kiffin will win the Tigers a national championship. “That wasn’t yes. Here’s why I would say yes. I think they have invested in NIL for him. They have given him the opportunity. There’s a lot of good things moving in that direction. The recruiting classes are really in solid shape, and I think Lane’s a really smart football coach.”

In the offseason, Kiffin brought in The Athletic’s highest-ranked transfer portal class, including quarterback Sam Leavitt (Arizona State), edge Princewill Umanmielen (Ole Miss), offensive tackle Jordan Seaton (Colorado), linebacker TJ Dottery (Ole Miss) and safety Ty Benefield (Boise State).

“I think it’s in a really good place,” Kelly continued. “And I believe because there’s an investment in that NIL, he’s going to be able to be Lane Kiffin. And that’s important. He’s not going to take the 18-year-old kid and develop him all the way through the ranks. And that’s fine. Because that’s what they wanted. I think with those things in place, he can win the national championship.”

Kiffin pointed to name, image and likeness as one of the areas he has reflected on during his time at LSU.

“We were a little bit late on some of the NIL things in terms of investing money; I put a million dollars up into it,” he said. “But look, at the end of the day, I didn’t win enough games.”

After LSU bought out Kelly for an estimated $53 million, the former coach has been open about his desire to return to the sideline — but not for just anyone.

“I’m in a very good position that I don’t have to coach again unless it’s the right coaching position,” he said, “but I want to coach.”

Golden Tempo won’t race in the Preakness Stakes two weeks after a historic, come-from-behind victory at the Kentucky Derby, according to a statement from Cherie DeVaux Racing on Wednesday.

The decision means horse racing will not have a Triple Crown winner for the eighth consecutive year. Sovereignty, last year’s Derby winner, also skipped last year’s Preakness Stakes, as did fellow Derby winners Rich Strike in 2022 and Country House in 2019. Justify was the last horse to complete the Triple Crown in 2018, one of only 13 horses to have accomplished thoroughbred racing’s highest achievement.

“Golden gave us the race of a lifetime in the Kentucky Derby, and and we believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort,” the statement said in explaining the decision to skip the Preakness on May 16.

Golden Tempo’s victory in the 152nd Kentucky Derby made history, as Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the race. With jockey Jose Ortiz, who earned his first Derby victory, Golden Tempo was a 23-1 long shot at post time with betting odds consistently shifting in the hours leading up to the race.

Since 2018, only three horses — Authentic (2020), Mage (2023) and Mystik Dan (2024) — have competed in The Preakness after winning the Derby.

Country House didn’t race in the 2019 Preakness because of an illness, and Rich Strike skipped to focus on the Belmont Stakes. And Mandaloun, who won the 2021 Kentucky Derby following Medina Spirit’s disqualification, did not race in the Preakness either. Sovereignty, trained by Bill Mott, skipped the Preakness because of the quick turnaround of the race and instead ran in the Belmont Stakes, winning the race by three lengths in just over two minutes.

Sovereignty’s success raised concerns about whether the Triple Crown format should change, citing that competing in three races over five weeks may not allow enough recovery time and can make it difficult to maintain the horses’ health. Prominent thoroughbred owner Mike Repole, who owns 2026 Derby competitor Renegade, proposed a change to the calendar last year, suggesting moving the Belmont Stakes from the third to the second leg of the Triple Crown and up one week from its current date. (The Belmont runs on either the first or second Saturday in June.) Under Repole’s suggestion, the Preakness would become the final leg of the Triple Crown season.

Churchill Downs Incorporated, which puts on the Kentucky Derby, agreed to acquire the intellectual property of the Preakness Stakes and Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for $85 million in late April. That deal, which is still subject to closing terms, could mean adjustments are coming to the scheduling of the Triple Crown, but the deal isn’t expected to be finalized until after this year’s Preakness.

“The Preakness being run two weeks after the Kentucky Derby, in this new day and age in racing, shows the lack of vision and leadership needed to evolve this sport,” Repole said in 2025. “If you want these horses to run for a longer period of time, and even as (4-year-olds), you must take the pressure off every trainer and owner to make a mistake and run a horse back too soon.”

Golden Tempo could return to compete in the Belmont Stakes on June 6 in Saratoga, N.Y. The Preakness, meantime, will be held at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., while Pimlico Park in Baltimore, the traditional Preakness site, undergoes renovations.

I wonder if Joel Embiid’s injury will make Tyrese Maxey more aggressive in Game 2. He was kind of restrained in Game 1, and the Sixers didn’t feel like they were playing that fast as they tried to feed Embiid, especially in the first half. The speed and athleticism of Maxey and VJ Edgecombe are strengths and they didn’t try to lean into them in the opener. We’ll see tonight.

Maxey admitted after Game 1 that he took a wait and see approach.

“I’m just trying to read, figure it out,” he said Monday night. “I’m not too worried about it. I’m an aggressive basketball player. So we’ll figure it out. I get a chance to go back and watch it.”

Now, the onus will definitely be on Maxey — and he has given the Knicks problems before.