TIGER’S READY TO ROAR: LSU Eyeing a Comfortable Season

Brian Kelly looks immeasurably more comfortable going into his 3rd season as LSU’s head coach, coming off a year where LSU was No. 1 in total offense and finished with Jayden Daniels winning the Heisman.

But things have changed. The college football playoffs have expanded from four to twelve teams and no longer require perfection for a seat at the table. The much hated (and loved) Nick Saban is no longer at the helm of the Crimson Tide, hopefully ending the lion’s grip on the heart of the SEC West. That said, the SEC West itself is no longer. With the addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the conference, the SEC is a free-for-all where the two best teams will play in the SEC Championship game.

Jayden Daniels has joined the NFL, as have star receivers Malik Nabors and Brian Thomas. Yet in this sea of change, Kelly confidently retooled and continued building.

Lake Charles born Garrett Nussmeier enters his fourth season at LSU, finally given the reins to lead the team. Projected as a top quarterback prospect out of high school, Nussmeier has sat patiently behind Myles Brennan and Daniels. Kelly thinks he’s more than ready; “Anyone who follows a Heisman winner has to understand that it’s his course that he has to plant. He’s waited, and he understands at LSU there’s high profile on the quarterback. Garrett has had a really good understanding of that by watching over the last couple of years. I expect him to have a great year.”

While LSU has long been considered Wide Receiver U, with players such as Odell Beckham, Jr., Justin Jefferson, and JaMarr Chase going on to NFL stardom, this year’s receiver room will be more about depth than it will all-star talent. Kyren Lacy gets the opportunity to step into the No. 1 spot, with Liberty transfer CJ Daniels right at his heels. Chris Hilton and Aaron Anderson are two more to watch, as is transfer Zavion Thomas. Jayden Daniels also led the Tigers in rushing last year, but with Nussmeier being much less mobile, expect a committee of running backs to carry the rock, with breakout potential from Kaleb Jackson, running behind perhaps LSU’s best position set at offensive line. At tight end, Kelly thinks he’s got a future NFL star in Mason Taylor.
Despite having the No. 1 overall offense last year, LSU’s once touted defensive looked almost pitiful at times, ranking 108th, and uncharacteristically giving up over 2,000 rushing yards the last two seasons. So, Kelly pivoted and brought in Blake Baker, who had Missouri as a Top 10 defense last season.

The defense is ready to get back to stopping the run, and with a huge defensive line, that shouldn’t be a problem, led by Jacobian Guillory and Sai’Von Jones coming off the end. Fixing the run defense should allow the pass defense to settle back in after finishing 2nd from last in the SEC last season. Transfer Jarden Gilbert will help shore that up, and freshman PJ Woodland could be an immediate contributor.

The schedule opens in Las Vegas against the USC Trojans, who are moving on from a Heisman winning quarterback. This game should easily be in the Tigers’ favor, but so far Kelly is 0-2 in opening games, both of which have also been on neutral sites.
LSU will face both Ole Miss and Alabama, two teams that beat them last year, at home this season, with their toughest road opponents being at Texas A&M and Florida. They finish with two home games, the final being against new SEC member Oklahoma.

The Tigers should win 10 games, and may even flirt with being undefeated, but with twelve teams making the playoffs this year, they don’t have to be perfect. They just have to be comfortable.

LSU SCHEDULE 2024

Week 1 Sept. 1 vs. USC (in Vegas)

Week 2 Sept. 7 vs. Nicholls

Week 3 Sept. 14 @ South Carolina

Week 4 Sept. 21 vs. UCLA

Week 5 Sept. 28 vs. South Alabama

Week 6 Oct. 5 BYE

Week 7 Oct. 12 vs. Ole Miss

Week 8 Oct. 19 @ Arkansas

Week 9 Oct. 26 @ Texas A&M

Week 10 Nov. 2 BYE

Week 11 Nov. 9 vs. Alabama

Week 12 Nov. 16 @ Florida

Week 13 Nov. 23 vs. Vanderbilt

Week 14 Nov. 30 vs. Oklahoma