Just a bowl game remains in Year 3 under Brian Kelly at LSU. LSU has not competed at the highest level of college football yet, but Kelly insists, “see you at the national championship”. We asked the crew at 1045 ESPN Baton Rouge to give us their confidence level in the LSU football program moving forward. Here’s what they had to say.
Taylor Sharp, Video Producer, Off the Bench: I have so many mixed feelings about this program. On one hand, I love Kelly’s recruiting class. I think he filled a ton of needs and did a good job retaining the top commits despite the loss of Bryce Underwood. On the other hand, there are things this staff has to do. Not only have you lost the season opener in three straight years, but you were under-prepared and outcoached each time. Kelly said, “judge me on year three,” which didn’t go as planned. One thing is for certain, Garrett Nussmeier returning is a big boost to 2025.
Alondra Villarreal, Audio Producer, Off the Bench: To be honest, I’m not FULLY confident in the direction of the football program after year 3 of Brian Kelly. LSU regressed this season and with players like CJ Daniels, Ka’Morreun Pimpton and Da’Shawn Womack hitting the portal, I’m worried about the depth of this team and what Kelly will be able to do in the portal. Also, we keep questioning what his “ceiling” is, but we already know what it is. Because of his career. But while I’m not fully confident in Kelly, I do have confidence in Blake Baker and a lot of the other staff, and in a lot of the players.
Jacob Hester, Co-Host, Off the Bench: I think they now see the full landscape of where college football is heading. They had fears of bringing in too many portal players, but even if you still want to build through high school recruiting, you HAVE to dive into the portal and bring in veteran players that can help you immediately. I think you’ll see them do just that this year.
T-Bob Hebert, Co-Host, Off the Bench: I remain long term bullish on LSU under Kelly. In this time of chaos, I think stability is at a premium, and LSU remains in a pretty good spot where they have a nice foundation established and remain poised to take the next step. In the end, we probably hand waved away just how much talent you were losing offensively and how hard that would be to overcome. The defense took major strides, and now Nuss returns to the offense. MOST IMPORTANTLY LSU now realizes you have to spend to win. I think LSU takes a step forward next year!
Charles Hanagriff, Co-Host, Live at Lunch: My confidence in the direction of the program will be directly correlated to the amount of money they are able to raise. That unending fundraising must be done from the top all the way down. This portal class will be a decent indication of where they stand on that.
Jacob Beck, Audio Producer, The Hunt Palmer Show: If I had to rate my confidence level on a scale from 1 to 10, I’d say I’m at a light 7. There are quite a few things that worry me, none more so than the 2025 season looking quite bleak. You have to replace Will Campbell and Emery Jones, three of your top four pass-catchers and your top two pass-rushers. Even though you return Nussmeier, the offense will be a major question mark, and the defense, which was improved from last year (although that’s not saying much), has multiple positions of need. If 2025 is another 8-4 or worse season, the fans in Baton Rouge will be very restless.
Hunt Palmer, Host, The Hunt Palmer Show: When Brian Kelly was hired, I thought the result would be a lot of 10-2s and 9-3s. That was before I knew 10-2 was good enough thanks to the 12-team playoff. I still feel the same way. My guess on the rest of the Kelly-era is six seasons, two playoff births and one team we feel like has a real shot to win the whole thing. That’s just kind of what LSU has been for 20 years, and I don’t feel like this is a lot different. No sure what that says about Kelly or LSU other than that the floor is pretty high, and I don’t see a run of dominance coming.
Matt Musso, Audio Producer, After Further Review: This is a hard question to answer right now because there is still so much unknown about the direction of the program after year three. The portal just opened on Monday, and you’re just starting to get guys on campus for visits. You did close one of the best recruiting classes in LSU history this cycle, and that is one thing that does give me confidence. Here is why. Everyone points to the 2023 class and how nobody is left from it. That’s all true, and it’s the main reason at this point you are where you are as a roster. However, you are starting to be able to look past that now because of the guys from the 2024 class that have already seen major development and played big roles for you as freshman this season. Guys like Caden Durham, Dominick McKinley, Gabe Reliford, Ahmed Breaux, PJ Woodland and on and on. I look at that and say okay it looks like you hit on a bunch there, and now you bring in this highly touted group to be the next to develop and even play immediately and you are building on a really nice foundation. The other side of the coin is year three is supposed to be the year Brian Kelly’s teams see their biggest jump. He was asked about this multiple times in the preseason. LSU regressed. Plain and simple. In a way you sort of feel like you’re back to square one because of this, and it’s easy to have your confidence shaken, and I don’t blame you if you do. Like I said to start this, it’s a hard question to answer right now because of the unknown. What I will say is while I can’t say I’m 100% confident in the direction, I respect the hell out of Brian Kelly’s career resume, and he’s built multiple programs to national success. That allows me to be patient and watch how this plays out before making any judgement on the direction. Year three is not over yet. The last piece is the roster construction for 2025, and it’s the biggest piece of the year.
Paul O’Neill, Video Producer, After Further Review: Yes, I am confident in the direction of the LSU football program after Year 3 of Brian Kelly. This year, the Tigers just didn’t have the talent to keep up with the top teams in the SEC. With another year of experience for those returning and money to spend in the portal, the Tigers have the ability to have an extremely talented and experienced roster in 2025. Brian Kelly has proven he can compete and coach at a high level. The biggest question is, will he be aggressive in the transfer portal and address the biggest holes on the roster with experience and depth? Getting Garrett Nussmeier to return is a huge piece to the puzzle as well. He will be one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the SEC and will set you up to have success next season. If Brian Kelly and the coaching staff can finally get the roster where it needs to be, LSU will be back to competing for championships again instantly.
Matt Moscona, Host, After Further Review: Brian Kelly is a great football coach. This is inarguable. He’s proven it by winning at an elite level at every stop in his career. There have been missteps during his time at LSU—hiring Brian Polian as recruiting coordinator, not retaining Corey Raymond, undervaluing the transfer portal—but, to his credit, he’s adjusted instead of stubbornly doubling down. LSU has assembled an elite staff and NIL fundraising is as healthy as it’s been. I am a believer, but this transfer portal window will determine if LSU is a CFP contender in 2025.
