LSU Tigers won the national championship with Joe Burrow in 2019, and ever since, success seems to be quite elusive, even though they had Jayden Daniels with them in 2023. Garrett Nussmeier has taken the mantle now and is looking deep for the lost LSU glory in Purple and Gold. Only to find his dreams shatter potentially in a recent revelation.
LSU Tigers onboarded the ace defensive line coach for the 2024 season. The future looked bright with him at the helm. After all, he is someone who has been the pupil of Nick Saban and then had served under Steve Sarkisian, leading the Longhorns to their first playoffs. He is also a master at recruitment. His negotiation and approach to building personal relationships with recruits stand out amongst very few coaches in football. However, he has now departed to the New Orleans Saints in the NFL, and that has opened a whole new Pandora’s box for LSU. Here’s why.
Glen West, an LSU Insider, provided the potential ripple effects that could follow after the departure of Bo Davis. “I mean could there be a little bit of attrition with some of the guys that just climbed on board? For sure, like, I mean, that’s why you can’t ever rule that out. I mean, they have Four Freshman defensive tackles that they just signed in the 2025 class.” So, what does this essentially mean?
This means that the departure of Bo Davis will have its own repercussions. Major recruits who had personal relationships with Davis will look to switch ships and leave LSU. After all, why would they stay with the team if the likes of Ohio State, Notre Dame, or Alabama come calling? It doesn’t make sense at all. For context, hear this.
Sep 1, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; LSU Tigers coach Brian Kelly arrives before the game against the Southern California Trojans at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Bo Davis had a far-reaching influence in LSU’s 2026 recruitment class, where players like Richard Anderson were recruited by the man. I mean, this is a prospect who is coming close to being 5-star rated and will be a top priority for teams if he intends to jump ship and decommit from LSU. Furthermore, Davis was also central in ongoing negotiations in recruiting 4-star prospect Dyrrus McKinley and Dylan Berymon. Surely, Davis’s departure may also influence them not to commit to LSU. But this problem can also extend to the current squad, and here’s why.
LSU has three main defensive linemen right now in their 2025 roster: Ahmad Breaux, Jacobian Guillory, and Dominick McKinley. Furthermore, they also added Sydir Mitchell from Texas, which was majorly due to Davis’s connections. We could potentially see some of these players jumping ship if Brian Kelly doesn’t convince them enough to stay. Now the main question that looms is: Why did Bo Davis even leave LSU in the first place?
Why did Bo Davis leave LSU?
Well, the first answer could be due to the glamour that the NFL usually carries with itself. Of course, not many coaches could resist that, but still, Bo Davis was the highest paid position coach in college football right now, slated to earn around $1.35 million this year. Surely, there must be more than the reasons of money and fame that influenced his decision, right?
Well, it might actually be. Matt Moscona in the ‘After Further Review Podcast’ shed light on some reasons that influenced Davis to leave. “Throughout his career [Davis] has been a very, very good recruiter. And whenever recruiting becomes more about money and less about relationships, that’s going to be offputting to someone who’s been so good at that piece of the game for so long because he’s very good at building relationships…I think there was some frustration from Bo at the lack of resources invested in the defensive line.” For context, hear this.
Davis had several high-level prospects on his mind, including Damonic Williams and Siemon Barrow Jr. So, it may be due to the fact that Kelly, at that time, refused to invest in these prospects, and that has ultimately set his heart elsewhere. The verdict? Surely, the departure of Bo Davis will hurt Brian Kelly. Not only because there aren’t many coaches of his caliber right now. But also because he was heavily invested in the program, which can falter after his departure. Brian Kelly needs to take swift action in order to avoid any potential calamities surrounding departures.
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