By Hunt Palmer
On a day geared toward honoring outgoing seniors, it was the young Tigers who shined Saturday night.
Freshmen Caden Durham, Dominick McKinley, Davhon Keys and Ahmad Breaux all made significant contributions.
Sophomores Whit Weeks, Aaron Anderson and Ka’Morreun Pimpton made huge plays.
Truth be told, not a single one of those players can be etched into the 2025 lineup. This day and age, any player can transfer in a moment’s notice. Rosters are overhauled in December and January.
LSU won’t be immune from that.
However, seeing those players producing in a conference game to finish the season does offer promise for the future of the program.
Durham’s emergence was difficult to forecast. Josh Williams and John Emery entered fall camp as sixth year players at the position. Kaleb Jackson was a trendy breakout pick.
The rookie from Duncanville High School led the Tigers in rushing yards and touchdowns during the regular season, and he added to his highlight reel with a 50-yard run Saturday night.
McKinley dealt with injuries much of September and slowly eased his way into the defensive tackle rotation. In the regular season finale, he shined, tallying a pair of sacks.
“Dominick McKinley was unblockable tonight,” said LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly. “Another freshman, Ahmad Breaux, was outstanding. PJ Woodland was outstanding. Gabe Reliford played. That’s four freshmen right there.”
When the NFL Draft wraps up in April, LSU’s defense is unlikely to produce any early selections. Bradyn Swinson’s name could be called in the second round. Outside of Sai’vion Joens, Harold Perkins and Zy Alexander, there may not be another LSU defender taken.
For LSU to compete for championships, that must change.
“Look, I know what the standards are here,” Kelly said. “We’re not happy if we lose a game, but we’re happy about the foundation of this program playing with young players that are only going to get better…It was good to see them compete at a high level.”
McKinley and Breaux flashed that talent. Keys and Weeks sustained production.
Weeks led the way with 15 tackles, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble. Keys set a career high of 10 tackles and a sack of Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold.
As Greg Penn, who has played with a broken rib for a month, moves on from LSU, Weeks and Keys figure to man the middle of LSU’s next defense.
It’s up to defensive line coach Bo Davis to coach up McKinley, Breaux, Reliford and the rest of the defensive line room in front of those guys.
The development of that class likely shapes the next couple of seasons for Kelly in Baton Rouge.
“(Friday) at the hotel, we had 21 true freshmen made the travel roster,” Kelly said. “We’re going to introduce 16 mid-year freshmen into this roster. We’re going to have 37 freshmen in winter conditioning for the first time. That’s what our roster looks like. That’s exciting.”
Kelly believes in working from the high school ranks while supplementing through the portal. That work must be done in the next three weeks. By all accounts, LSU intends to spend in the portal window to come.
And then there are the veterans on this roster with NFL decisions to make.
Players like Nussmeier, Mason Taylor, Emery Jones, Perkins, Aaron Anderson and others have NFL options but would be welcomed back at LSU.
Kelly is optimistic that some of them will return to school.
“They haven’t announced yet, but we’re going to have some key players come back,” Kelly said. “When we are finished with this roster, this roster will compete at the highest level.”
Kelly’s first three teams at LSU have combined to win the SEC West, win a Heisman Trophy, lead the nation in offense and defeat every team in what was the SEC West.
LSU has not played for a national title. Or come close.
That’s the next step for the program, and it’s difficult to discern how far away it is.
On one hand, LSU finished with just one more loss than South Carolina, Alabama and Ole Miss and beat two of the three. As of late Saturday night, at least two of those programs feel like they have a shot to make the 12-team playoff.
LSU, away from Tiger Stadium, led USC, Texas A&M and Florida with less than 20 minutes to play. All three resulted in losses.
Conversely, LSU eked out a win over a backup quarterback in Columbia, S.C., and needed three do or die fourth down conversions to beat Ole Miss. A 6-6 record wasn’t too far-fetched.
Ultimately, 8-4 was probably fair.
Nussmeier’s return likely means the most for the 2025 team. The junior signal caller just enjoyed the third best passing season in LSU history behind two Heisman winners. He finished the regular season second in the SEC in passing yards per game and touchdowns. Over the last two weeks, he didn’t throw an interception, though his fumble Saturday night did yield a defensive touchdown.
Another offseason in the system can only help Nussmeier, and LSU fans will point to their two recent Heisman winners in Year 1 at LSU as opposed to Year 2. Those transformations were stark.
But, as was evidenced this season and especially last, a talented quarterback can’t do it alone.
LSU must improve in the running game and play more consistently on defense. That’s where the youth movement needs to pay off in a big way.
There are no more gameplans to install or halftime adjustments to make. It’s roster building time in college football over the next three weeks. LSU has a Top 5 class to ink and a roster to preserve.
LSU’s 2024 regular season ended just hours ago. But it’s already time to look at 2025.
