LSU Football Preview

BK TAKEOVER OVER

The Brian Kelly Era Offers Promise of Future Dominance

By Andrew Alexander

What a difference three years makes. In August of 2019, LSU had yet to embark on one of the greatest seasons in college football history, going 15-0 en route to a national championship under Coach Ed Orgeron. Flash forward three years, and Orgeron’s been fired after LSU compiled a dismal 11-12 record over the past two seasons.

Insert Brian Kelly.

Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels is a QB hopeful for LSU Brian Kelly takes the field for LSU

The former Notre Dame head coach arrives in Baton Rouge with an impressive résumé. Kelly’s 284 victories as a head coach are the most by any active FBS coach (even more than Alabama’s Nick Saban), his 113 victories at Notre Dame were the most in program history, and he’s only had two teams finish below .500 during 31 years of coaching. Kelly also led the Fighting Irish to the 2012 BCS national title game and reached the College Football Playoff in 2018 and 2020. Not too shabby.

Although Kelly inherits somewhat of a rebuild, at least by LSU standards, the roster is still oozing with what drew Kelly to Baton Rouge—potential.

Kelly’s been a winner at every stop in his coaching career, and LSU will be no different. His inaugural season coaching in the Southeastern Conference is about laying the foundation for the Tigers to return to prominence, sustaining excellence for what Tiger fans hope is years to come.

OFFENSE: QUARTERBACK BATTLE

The question on every Tiger fan’s mind this offseason: Who will be LSU’s starting quarterback for the season opener?

After sixth-year senior Myles Brennan announced he was stepping away from football in mid-August, Kelly and new offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s quarterback room has become a little less crowded heading into their first season, with Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels, redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier, and the five-star recruit Walker Howard vying for the job of QB1. It’s effectively now a twoman race because Howard is likely to redshirt, but the possible quarterback depth is something LSU hasn’t had the luxury of in quite some time. Daniels was a three-year starter at Arizona State, known as a dynamic playmaker, fitting the mold of a dual-threat quarterback. As a freshman in 2019, Daniels threw for over 2,900 yards and 17 touchdowns with just two interceptions, to go along with 355 rushing yards and three touchdowns. His sophomore season was cut short in 2020, as the Sun Devils played only four games. Last season, Daniels completed over 65% of his passes, the highest clip of his career, throwing for over 2,300 yards and 10 touchdowns. On the flip side, he also threw for 10 interceptions. Tasked with shouldering a greater offensive burden, Daniels also ran for 710 yards as a junior and six touchdowns—both career highs.

Seemingly a wildcard to win the starting job all