LSU HC Brian Kelly entering dangerous territory of falling short of a proud program standard heading into pivotal 2025 CFB season

Since head coach Brian Kelly took over the LSU program prior to the 2022 season, he has done a lot of good things. During his three seasons in Baton Rouge, Coach Kelly has risen the floor for the Tigers. That includes a SEC Championship Game appearance in year one, two 10-win seasons, and a 29-11 […]

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer

Jul 14, 2025 8:57 PM EDT

The issue with Kelly, which has plagued him dating back to his time with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, is the overall performance in big games. The team has gone just 4-8 against teams who were ranked at the time that the teams played. Kelly is still hanging his hat on an upset victory over Alabama during his first year.

Right or wrong, you are going to be defined by championships as the head coach of LSU. Coach Kelly has talked openly about those goals, and claimed that was a major reason he left South Bend for Baton Rouge. Things were supposedly easier.

Kelly now enters a critical fourth year in charge of the program, and history has told us that quick turnarounds have been a typical thing while at LSU. The previous three head coaches of the program, which was reported by On3 national reporter Brett McMurphy, all had won championships by the end of their fourth season.

Brian Kelly begins his 4th season at LSU. Last 3 LSU coaches won the national title. Nick Saban won his in year 4 at LSU, Les Miles & Ed Orgeron each did so in their 3rd year
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 14, 2025

That includes legendary head coach Nick Saban, who win in his fourth season after coming over from Michigan State. Les Miles and Ed Orgeron also accomplished the feat a season earlier than Saban. The trend since the beginning of the century is simple, win a championship, and win it quickly.

I don’t think that many people question that Coach Kelly can build a program, and at least substantially raise the floor. He has already done that. Barring something unforeseen, I don’t see the LSU team bottoming out. They are a sustainable product.

The actual question is whether Coach Kelly can get a team over the top, and that is still very much an unknown. LSU opted to utilize the transfer portal at a higher clip this offseason, so clearly there is some intentionality to adapt to the new times. Whether you can teach an old dog new tricks when it matters most is still a question that needs to be answered.

Perhaps this is LSU’s year, and the stars are set to align. The roster clearly has talent, and the field does appear wide open. Regardless of the outcome, Coach Kelly is going to have a first this season.

Either he is going to win his first championship on the FBS level, or become the lone LSU coach who has failed to do so by their fourth season since the turn of the century.