Something special is cooking down in Baton Rouge, and it ain’t just another round of crawfish boils. Brian Kelly and LSU have been stirring something serious, and if history has taught us anything, it’s that when the Tigers go back to their Louisiana roots, magic happens. The last time LSU stacked its staff with coaches tied to The Boot, a guy named Joe Burrow went from a transfer afterthought to a national champion and Heisman winner. Now, with the Bryce Underwood de-commitment lighting a fire under their recruiting efforts, LSU is making sure Garrett Nussmeier gets ready for a breakout season. The insiders are whispering: Kelly has a master plan, and it’s all coming to light.

On February 7th, LSU insider Blake Ruffino pulled back the curtain on Brian Kelly’s strategy. “Lot of people talk crap about him for whatever reason. My dog’s been out there moving and shaking in recruiting,” Ruffino said. He wasn’t just hyping up Kelly for fun—he laid out the chess moves that LSU’s been making.

“The interesting thing, not just about Lance Guidry, was Alex Atkins. Midway through the year, the Florida game on, LSU and Brian Kelly had to get involved in the running game. They bring Alex Atkins in as a tight ends coach, but mainly the run game coordinator.” That’s no small tweak. Atkins, who was instrumental in Florida State’s undefeated regular season in 2023, is now tasked with making sure LSU’s ground game is lethal.

But the real kicker? LSU is bringing back the same Louisiana-connected coaching strategy that fueled their last championship run. Ruffino spelled it out: “Every coach that LSU has now has massive Louisiana ties. The last time that happened—” he pointed at a Joe Burrow poster behind him, and ya’ll know how that went. The 2019 LSU title run ain’t just about Burrow; it was about an entire staff that understood the culture and knew how to dominate SEC football.

LSU’s recipe for success has always been about keeping Louisiana talent home and surrounding their quarterback with a system that lets him shine. Back in 2019, Ed Orgeron stacked his staff with local connections—Joe Brady, Bill Busch, and Steve Ensminger all had Louisiana roots. And guess what? It worked.

Brady was instrumental in bringing in Burrow, Busch played a key role in locking down recruits, and Ensminger was the offensive mind that helped LSU explode. The 2025 Tigers are following the same blueprint, and it’s not hard to see why. LSU doesn’t need gimmicks—they just need to do what’s worked before.

Lance Guidry, now a defensive analyst for LSU, is another piece of this homegrown puzzle. Born and raised in Louisiana, Guidry is a McNeese State alum with a deep understanding of the local talent pipeline. His defensive mind could be a game-changer in an SEC where stopping high-powered offenses is the key to survival. And it’s not just Guidry.

Alex Atkins spent years coaching at Tulane, proving he knows the lay of the land in Louisiana recruiting. This ain’t no accident—LSU is making sure their staff has deep roots in the state, just like they did when Joe Burrow and the boys tore through college football.

Garrett Nussmeier: Joe Burrow-esque season?

Now let’s talk about Garrett Nussmeier. The Louisiana native has been waiting in the wings, learning, grinding, and biding his time. In 2024, he put up a respectable 3,739 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Solid, but not superstar numbers. But with this revamped staff, the offensive pieces surrounding him, and a playbook that’s shifting toward a more aggressive air attack, Nussmeier is in prime position to make a Jayden Daniels-type leap. LSU already secured the No. 1 Transfer Portal Class, bringing in 14 high-impact players.

And let’s not forget that Nussmeier currently has better Heisman odds than Arch Manning. That should tell you something about how high expectations are. So, what does this all mean?

It means that Brian Kelly knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s not just coaching for another bowl appearance—he’s playing for a national title. LSU is betting big on their coaching hires, their recruiting classes, and most importantly, Garrett Nussmeier.

And if history repeats itself, well, we might just be looking at another unstoppable Tigers team, with Nussmeier leading the charge the way Burrow once did. Buckle up, Baton Rouge. The Tigers are about to roar.