In the 2024 season, the LSU Tigers HC Brian Kelly has seen enough. For a team that largely underachieved this past offseason, there were too many things on Kelly’s plate. But the biggest blow came with the No.1 recruit Bryce Underwood flipping to Sherrone Moore’s Michigan Wolverines. Looks like the picture is starting to get better for the Tigers. The HC is no longer brooding in the past. He now has a new mission: Mission Protect Garrett Nussmeier. That’s when Kelly has buckled up and has already started to take baby steps. 

It has been a rollercoaster ride for Kelly’s Tigers. From 10 straight wins to having a nose-dive pinned by mediocrity. However, no matter what, we can’t deny that Nussmeier has been a Tigers’ asset. Here are some stats for your reference. In 12 games, the QB comes up with a 63.7% completion rate, followed by 3,739 yards and 26 touchdowns. In that case, he should’ve received the best protection.

But Kelly’s offensive line had a hard time protecting Nussmeier. Even veteran offensive linemen like Garrett Dellinger and Miles Frazier failed to maintain consistency. That’s when Kelly must have thought enough is enough. The HC has started to gain momentum. On December 17, CBS Sports National college football reporter Matt Zenitz informed, “Nic Anderson has now signed with LSU.”

Now that’s what you call a big move. Even though Nic Anderson missed all of last season because of injury, he has been one of the top wide receivers in the portal. The Oklahoma Sooners WR played for 17 college games and racked up 38 catches for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns. Now how is this going to benefit the Nussmeier mission? 

Bringing in a pass catcher provides ample size to the position at 6-foot-4, 209 pounds. We hope this brings back the air attack that went missing throughout the 2024 season. Now that the QB has made a return to LSU and will have a WR like Anderson around, hope his struggle with turnovers will be over. Looks like Kelly also has another big plan in his mind. 

Brian Kelly is all set with his homework for the post-Garrett Nussmeier era

The Tigers HC has already paved his path for the future. As the 2025 season marks Nussmeier’s last ride with his program, what’s next for LSU? Take a chill pill, Tigers fans. Your HC has already figured things out. Here comes another big win from the transfer portal. Kelly successfully nabbed QB Michael Van Buren Jr. out of the transfer portal. Yes, it’s the same Buren Jr. who took the SEC by surprise in his eight starts for Mississippi State. 

So that makes it the Nussmeier succession plan. For the 2025 season, the limelight will be now on him as he will be starting and prepping himself for the NFL. In the meanwhile, Buren Jr. will be ready to rock under center in Baton Rouge. When it comes to quarterback transfers, Kelly’s program has been a big hit in recent years. 

The greatest examples are the 2019 Heisman winner Joe Burrow and the 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. However, there are a lot of things that Brian Kelly will still have to fix. For instance, he still has a ton of gaps in their defensive end. Things look positive, as he is certainly going to figure things out with DC Blake Baker.