Brian Kelly sets LSU Tigers bar for success wildly high as he breaks down exactly where their 2025 roster is at SEC Media Days
The 2025 SEC Media Days kicked off on Monday, July 14th with LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly leading the way.It was clear from the start of his time with the media that Brian Kelly understands the importance of this season for his tenure as the LSU head coach. His first two 10-win seasons with […]
The 2025 SEC Media Days kicked off on Monday, July 14th with LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly leading the way.
It was clear from the start of his time with the media that Brian Kelly understands the importance of this season for his tenure as the LSU head coach. His first two 10-win seasons with the program were impressive, but after a disappointing 2024–despite a strong roster–Kelly needs to win big now.
Some head coaches might try to hide from or deny that fact entering a crucial "prove it" year, but not Brian Kelly–not this time anyway. He set the bar for success wildly high with his comments this week.
Brian Kelly believes LSU Tigers roster is ready to play for national championship
Coach Kelly was complimentary of a number of his returning and new players throughout his primary session with the media on Monday, but showed even more confidence in his team in brief meetings afterwards.
One of the most surprising comments Kelly shared was with Heather of ESPN when he said, "This is a roster that is now poised to play for a [national] championship."
That might sound like a bold take to those unfamiliar with LSU's roster build, but it shouldn't surprise Tigers fans.
The LSU Tigers return one of the most impressive rosters in the nation from top to bottom.
They have a potential first round pick at quarterback in Garrett Nussmeier who threw for over 4000 yards, scoring over 30 total touchdowns. Their linebacker of Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins could be top five in the country. The wide receiver room is six solid players deep (or more) thanks to their number one overall Transfer Portal class this offseason led by likely breakout star Barion Brown. The pass rush and secondary are both completely revamped with a half dozen high impact transfers there too.
And if Nussmeier takes the step forward that Brian Kelly is expecting this year, the LSU Tigers will quite seriously be in the mix to compete for a national championship this year.
How high is Nussmeier expected to jump in 2025 (according to Kelly on Monday)? He expects a similar "astronomical" leap that we saw Jayden Daniels take from year one to year two.
Expecting a "Jayden Daniels" kind of Heisman-winning leap from Garrett Nussmeier might sound like it's a bit much, but many forget that 2024 was indeed his first full season as the starter for the LSU Tigers.
Nussmeier was already one of the best SEC passers from day one and continued to develop all year long. If he cleans up a few of the forced throws and adds a bit more mobility to his game this season there's no reason why he couldn't be quite a bit better than 2024. If so, given the stacked roster around Nussmeier, LSU's roster certainly should–or at least could–put themselves in contention to play for a national championship in 2025.
LSU Tigers could see some surprise freshmen breakout despite win-now roster ready to make College Football Playoff push
LSU Tigers could see some surprise freshman breakout in 2025
We'll be back with more LSU Tigers coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
