ATLANTA – For the first time since Gerry DiNardo was the head coach, an LSU head coach has not won a national championship in his first three years.
Brian Kelly is now entering his fourth season as head coach at LSU and many seem to believe he’s on the hot seat.
While that isn’t necessarily true, Kelly still hit the offseason hard. The Tigers ranked No. 7 overall (No. 10 Composite/No. 1 Transfer) in recruiting this year, according to 247 sports.
Of the 18 players that transferred into LSU this year, eight of them came from other SEC schools.
Kelly feels with these moves, and the returning starters including Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and Wide Receiver Chris Hilton Junior on the offensive side, the Tigers have, “championship level depth across the board.”
Kelly knows that his offense is a powerhouse, but the question has remained on the defense if it can show up.
This year, Kelly has a strong belief that, “Look, I've been the head football coach at LSU and I know that we have not played the kind of defense necessary to win a national championship. I think we put a roster together this offseason, along with young players that have taken lumps along the way as they've developed, and given Blake now the tools to play championship level defense.”
But there is also something to say even about next season seeing as the Tigers have already managed to get three of the top 30 players in the 2026 class to commit.
In the last two weeks Brian Kelly and the LSU recruiting staff have managed to get Defensive Lineman Lamar Brown (No. 7 Overall/No. 1 DL) and Edge Rusher Trenton Henderson (No. 28 Overall/No. 4 EDGE) while having already received a commitment from Tristen Keys (No. 4 Overall/No. 1 WR).
It’ll be an interesting year for the LSU Tigers and Coach Kelly, but there is plenty to be excited about for the fans.