With SEC Media Days now concluded, there’s plenty to talk about — but one team that drew significant attention was the LSU Tigers.
The hype train from Baton Rouge is picking up serious steam ahead of the 2025 season, and it’s only adding to the pressure on fourth-year head coach Brian Kelly.
Kelly enters Year 4 with a 29-11 record at LSU. His introduction to the SEC started strong, as he led the Tigers to a conference championship appearance in Year 1. But he's been unable to return to that stage in the past two seasons. CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford believes that will change in 2025, predicting Kelly’s second SEC Championship appearance — this time en route to a College Football Playoff berth.
“We’ve been high on the Tigers since February, so the SEC Media Days hype — while refreshing — is just another summer drink in Baton Rouge,” Crawford wrote.
“Brian Kelly has pushed all his chips to the center of the table this offseason, with substantial buy-in from both fans and boosters. He appears to have his best team yet at LSU and has taken a different approach ahead of the Tigers’ seismic season opener at Clemson. Kelly knows the pressure will be on if the Tigers don’t impress early.
“Les Miles and Ed Orgeron each won national titles in Year 3 at LSU, while it took Nick Saban four seasons. Kelly would be just fine with that timeline.”
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The past three head coaches at LSU have all won national titles, which only intensifies the pressure on Kelly to follow suit. But even making the SEC Championship is a daunting challenge in today’s version of the league.
“The SEC is the toughest conference in football,” LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier told reporters. “I don’t care what anyone says.”
Few would argue with Nussmeier — especially now that the SEC boasts 16 teams following the additions of Oklahoma and Texas last season.
Brian Kelly appears confident at SEC Media Days
After Kelly finished his appearance at SEC Media Days, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum noted a noticeable shift in the coach’s demeanor — a more confident, perhaps even emboldened version of Kelly.
“Usually, when a coach goes on for exactly 12 minutes without answering questions, it makes it appear that he doesn’t want to answer them. But he did, and he does. And I don’t want to say this is a new Brian Kelly because he’s 60 years old and he’s had an extraordinary career, but this is Brian Kelly embracing the noise,” Finebaum said.
“He’s like, I don’t care. And some would say, well, don’t you think he’s putting more pressure on himself? You can’t put any more pressure on yourself when you’re coaching at a school where — in the aftermath of Nick Saban — Les Miles and Ed O all won national championships, and people are saying, this is your fourth year, when are you going to win one?”
Finebaum called it a unique moment for Kelly at LSU — but one in which Kelly seems to believe the Tigers can finally back it up.