The 2024 season has been mostly about misses rather than hits for Brian Kelly’s LSU Tigers. A 9-4 record looks okay, sure, but a clear step back from those 10-win seasons Kelly pulled off his first two years. With 2025 still a ways off, LSU fans were probably itching for some sign that they wouldn’t see a repeat of 2024. Instead, Kelly kind of killed the buzz by scrapping the spring games. Finally, he addressed the loopholes, trying to give some hope to the fans by talking about how the 2025 scene looks better in the Tigers camp. Did their $3.4 million gamble pay off well? Kelly had the answer for it.  

As the Tigers opened their first game against Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans, something felt off with Kelly’s boys. LSU was struggling to run the ball. Now this has definitely been a surprise. After all, they have built the nation’s most efficient rushing attack in 2023. Kelly’s program entered the last season with four returning starters on the offensive line, including two future first-round picks in Will Campbell and Emery Jones. But the 2024 stats really left the fans crestfallen. 43.5% four-yard run rate.

Turning a 1st and 10 into a 2nd and 6, or a 2nd and 6 into a 3rd and 2, that’s crucial. Yet, LSU’s numbers? They landed them outside the top 100 nationally.  Add to that an 18.7% stuff rate and only 27 ten-yard runs. Remember, with Jayden Daniels, Kelly’s program was second in the nation for 20+ yard runs and top 10 for 10+ yard carries. So, naturally, at the March 22 press conference, the head coach got grilled about this. But, to be fair, he did offer a lot of reassuring words.

Brian Kelly said, “I think there were a couple of things. We’re playing young backs that were learning. Josh [Williams] certainly was a veteran force. But Emery went down with the knee, and Camp and Josh, he couldn’t be the only guy. So we had to play some younger players and they were learning.” Yes, Kelly did not push the issue under the table. Definitely, they had all the opportunity to be successful but somehow lacked the commitment and mindset. 

Here came the positive admission, “I think there’s just much more of a commitment to it in everything that we’re doing. From Alex [Atkins] who is the the run game coordinator, to coach [Joe] Sloan, seeing the importance of what we need to be physical upfront. I think it’s just a mindset that we lacked at times last year that we’ve really worked hard at building in January.” And here he hints at how his $3.4 million dollar gamble paid off well. 

Brian Kelly’s confidence in his coaching staff

Blake Baker was officially announced as the next defensive coordinator at LSU on January 6, 2024. So, this is his second year. Kelly and Co. offered him a contract worth $2.5 million a year. On the other hand, Joe Sloan originally joined the Tigers in January 2022 as the quarterbacks coach. He was elevated to being the offensive coordinator in January last year as Kelly dished out a $950k contract for him. Now, how much is the HC satisfied with his move? 

“I think all coaches are always looking to better themselves relative to experience,” the HC sounded all confident. While the coaches are crucial, they alone won’t resurrect Kelly’s program. They do, however, have the “tools.” Garrett Nussmeier returns as quarterback, and the wide receivers room boasts considerable depth. They’ve significantly revamped the WR corps, adding several impactful players, including Kentucky’s speedster Barion Brown and Oklahoma’s standout wideout, Nic Anderson, among others.

With the $3.4 million gamble on the coaching staff, coupled with these tools, they are all set to reclaim their dominant status soon. “They went through a year understanding what our weaknesses were and what we need to be better at, and I think that’s a great place to be going into year two,” Kelly noted. Meanwhile, one of their coaches has also proven to be a game-changer for Kelly’s Tigers in the recruiting race.

That’s none other than Joe Sloan. He has that X-factor that helps him to establish an immediate connection with the recruits. For instance, the University Lab QB and LSU commit Emile Picarella could not stop talking highly about the coach. On Matt Moscona’s podcast, he confessed, “He’s [Sloan] just honest the whole process, and he’s gonna ask about your family. He’s gonna ask how you’re doing, he’s gonna ask how your siblings are doing, ask about school. And he gets really personal with you because that’s what I think recruiting is supposed to be.” With an unbreakable bond and a shared commitment, the LSU Tigers are preparing for the 2025 season with unity at their core.