The pressure on LSU and Brian Kelly in 2025 is greater than at any point in his tenure. It’s not his 1st or 2nd year, it’s Kelly’s 4th season as the Tigers’ HC. When he arrived from Notre Dame with a total record of 92-39, LSU fans pinned their hopes for a revival. But, now standing at a 9-4 season after a double-digit finish in 2023, Kelly has to find answers about the growing troubles plaguing his team. And to deliver upon the lofty expectations in 2025, the HC cannot afford a repeat of his past mistakes.
When Kelly took over from former HC Ed Orgeron in 2022, the latter had a plan in mind for the new HC to follow. “I don’t know that it’s fair, but (national title) is the expectation… You should be able to win a national championship in 3 years,” Orgeron said. 3 years have zipped past quickly, and Kelly is yet to meet his predecessor’s demand. Another troubling fact is that LSU is yet to secure a playoff spot under Kelly. Even in 2024, with the offensive fireworks that Nussmeier displayed, that goal couldn’t be achieved.
Josh Pate pointed out a few things that led to his downfall in previous seasons. He said on the See Ball Get Ball podcast, “I think also, the way they let that defense fall off and the way they in some ways wasted Jayden Daniels‘ Heisman year, it really, really sat poorly with those folks [fans].” In 2023, DC Matt House’s coaching couldn’t allow any positive results, and fell short from week 1 itself against USC. Jayden Daniels completed his college career without a national championship win or a Heisman. But he made waves in the NFL, taking the Commanders to an NFC Championship game in his debut season.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels warms up before the start of the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, on Sunday, January 26, 2025. PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxONLY PHI202501126703 JOHNxANGELILLO
Staffing was also a clear problem that reflected in Kelly’s tenure at LSU. The school has traditionally looked at local players and staff. But Kelly, according to Pate, added his own fateful twist. “When Brian Kelly came in there, he’s a proven guy. And so he’s hired. And he’s told, ‘All right, do it your way.’ Well, his way was to flush a lot of the Louisiana flavor out of that building to bring in his folks almost, you know, according to some, almost sort of in a defiant measure.” Brian Kelly installed Matt House and OC Mike Denbrock. And yet, a playoff drought continues.
Recruiting has been another point of contention. Pate continued, “Year two, there’s the disaster. And it’s disastrous with a bunch of defensive guys who can’t pronounce Thibadoux to save their lives.” That’s when GM Austin Thomas came into the picture. “That roster was in trouble this year, and they went and killed it in the portal,” Pate said. “They went and got proven production. They didn’t go take kids who were former five-stars, who weren’t starting for good teams, and just magically assume, ‘Oh, they’ll shine for us,” the analyst added.
Orgeron is convinced that 2025 must be the year that Kelly delivers. “I just know the expectations at LSU are number one or nothing. I mean, LSU, they expect you to win the national championship. […] And, I won it in my third year. So the expectations are high there,” he told Jacksonville Sports Radio. But that won’t just happen with great stats; Kelly has to build a commanding locker room culture first.
Brian Kelly has to establish a strong morale ahead of brutal opening schedule
A new roster and a new spirit mean a fresh and charged environment is developing in LSU’s locker room. Kelly has to find a way to ensure the team understands its essence as a unit before they begin their schedule. It is a steep uphill drive right in the beginning of the season, and Pate fears that it can take a toll on the Tigers. “They play four losable games though, in the first six. And so, if you don’t have your stuff together, if you don’t gel as a team and get ready to come out of the gate hot… They are a team that could be really good, and have two losses by the time we hit, you know, October.”
By then LSU will have already played serious threats like Clemson, Florida, Ole Miss, and South Carolina. It gets difficult for the Tigers from the get-go. Compounding the concern, LSU is yet to win a season opener since 2019. Not winning a National Championship in three years is excusable. But not one opener victory in three years? Tigers fans have good reason to be disappointed at Kelly and Co.
The onus is completely on the staff to do better in 2025. And it’s not just double-digit wins. It means not repeating the broken melody of past mistakes, and ensuring players are used to their best. Can Brian Kelly finally rise to the moment and write a new chapter in his career at LSU?
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