Year three of the Brian Kelly era at LSU started off sour as the Tigers suffered a loss to Southern California in Las Vegas.
Kelly and the Tigers would rally, winning the next six straight games, and marched into College Station looking for their seventh straight win. Then, the wheels came off the 2024 season. Texas A&M shut down the Tigers in the second half, winning by double digits and handing LSU the first of three straight losses.
The Tigers would rally again, winning the final three games of the season, including another meaningless bowl game, to end the season on somewhat of a positive note; however, questions lingered following the conclusion of the Texas Bowl. Where was the running game all season? How did the defense get repeatedly torched by mobile quarterbacks? Most importantly, is Brian Kelly the coach to get LSU back to national prominence?
As evidenced by his prior three coaching jobs before landing in Baton Rouge, Kelly is a program builder who has achieved remarkable success by his third season at previous stops. He won the Mid-American Conference championship in year three at Central Michigan. He led Cincinnati to consecutive BCS bowl appearances in his third and fourth seasons. Kelly inherited a Notre Dame squad that went 16-21 under his predecessor's final three years and led the reinvigorated Fighting Irish to the national championship game in 2012, his third season in South Bend.
According to Kelly, he's compiled the most talented roster yet since he's been in Baton Rouge, signing another top-10 high school recruiting class and the top-ranked transfer portal class in the nation. Kelly's track record indicates he's a high-level winner. What remains to be seen is: Can he win big in the vaunted Southeastern Conference?
[Courtesy of LSU Athletics]
Offense: Heisman Contender
The Tigers' biggest asset this season, on either side of the ball, is returning quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. The fifth-year senior had a breakout year in 2024, passing for over 4,000 yards, 29 touchdowns, and with 12 interceptions, compiling one of the best statistical seasons for a quarterback in LSU history. Nussmeier enters the season as one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy, and Kelly (and Tiger fans everywhere) are hoping to see a similar leap that two other former LSU quarterbacks (Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels) made under center in their second seasons.
Kelly went transfer portal shopping to bolster the Tigers' receiving corps. Transfers Nic Anderson (Oklahoma) and Barion Brown (Kentucky) join returning Tigers Aaron Anderson and Chris Hilton as the core of Nussmeier's receiving targets. They're joined by sophomore monster 6'7" tight end Trey'Dez Green, who, if used properly, should create nightmarish mismatches for secondaries in the red zone.
LSU's biggest offensive weakness in 2024 was its running game. The Tigers ranked last in total rushing yards and rushing yards per game in the SEC. For a school that has a long, illustrious history of producing amazing running backs—literally, there are far too many to mention—that's a mind-boggling statistic. LSU's offense was the epitome of one-dimensional in 2024, and if there is any hope of a CFP appearance, the rushing unit must tremendously improve.
Running back Caden Durham emerged as a legitimate rushing threat last season. In his freshman campaign, Durham rushed for over 750 yards and six touchdowns while battling injuries. The rising sophomore will be joined by the bruising, but unreliable, Kaleb Jackson, as well as highly touted freshman Harlem Berry.
LSU's offensive success hinges upon a balanced attack. Nussmeier cannot shoulder the entire offensive load, so the Tigers need to reestablish the complementary brutal rushing attack that was the program's calling card for much of the last couple decades.
[Courtesy of LSU Athletics]
Defense: Cautiously Optimistic
The Tiger's defense did improve last season, but it was still one of the least impressive units in the SEC. They finished second to last in the SEC in scoring defense and ranked in the bottom half of units in the rushing and passing defense categories. The 2024 unit wasn't as historically abysmal as its 2023 predecessor, but it was nowhere near championship caliber.
Defensive coordinator Blake Baker hopes to rely heavily on two key defenders returning from injury. Junior linebacker Whit Weeks led the team in tackles (125) last season, terrorizing opposing offenses. Before suffering an ankle injury in the Tigers' bowl game, Weeks emerged as a key defensive cog, shouldering leadership and playmaking duties after fellow linebacker Harold Perkins injured his ACL against UCLA early in the season.
Perkins' return to Baton Rouge is a major jolt for Baker's defense. The senior linebacker will adopt a new defensive role this season, playing the "Star" position, a hybrid of linebacker and defensive back that should allow Perkins to utilize his athleticism and playmaking abilities even more.
Baker shored up the rest of his unit with a bevy of transfers. Edge rushers Patrick Payton (Florida State), Jack Pyburn (Florida), and Jimari Butler (Nebraska) join returners Gabriel Reliford, Jacobian Guillory, and Dominick McKinley along the defensive line. Cornerback Mansoor Delane (Virginia Tech) and Ja'Keem Jackson (Florida) should play key roles in the secondary, alongside Ashton Stamps, PJ Woodland, and incoming five-star freshman recruit DJ Pickett.
[Courtesy of LSU Athletics]
Prediction
If LSU misses the College Football Playoff this year, the season will be considered a colossal failure. Kelly will not be fired if the Tigers fall short because his current contract buyout is over $60 million, but he will have squandered a golden opportunity, considering the talent he's accumulated on this roster.
A strong start to the season is key for LSU. The Tigers open at Clemson, host Florida in week three, and travel to Ole Miss in week five. Avoiding the program's sixth straight season opening loss would do wonders for overall team (and fanbase) morale, but if the Tigers stumble early, there is no room for error when they face the rest of the SEC gauntlet in the second two-thirds of the season.
LSU: 10-3, College Football Playoff First Round
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