ESPN reveals the biggest question at LSU entering SEC media days

Media days act as a kind of kickoff event to the season, with coaches, players, and media gathering before practices start for teams. Coming into the 2023 SEC media day, the LSU Tigers are going to be dealing with several questions.

Through all of these questions, ESPN boiled it down to a simple and complicated question facing LSU, how is LSU going to do in Brian Kelly’s second season?

“When are expectations not lofty at LSU, especially when you bring in a coach the caliber of Brian Kelly and are coming off a national championship four years earlier?” ESPN’s Chris Low wrote. “The Tigers surprised a lot of people a year ago in winning the SEC’s Western Division and knocking off Alabama in Kelly’s first season in Baton Rouge. Taking that next step will prove even more difficult, but LSU has the pieces in place to make another run in the West and get back to the SEC championship game.”

As Low explained, LSU has the talent to compete for the SEC West again in 2023, which only adds to the pressure the Tigers are under to win this season.

“It starts with quarterback Jayden Daniels, who blossomed last season in LSU’s offense. Having a multifaceted quarterback with experience helps solve a ton of problems, especially when your entire offensive line is back. Tackles Will Campbell and Emery Jones started as freshmen last season, and Kelly believes that unit has a chance to be special,” Low wrote.

“And on defense, linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. returns after establishing himself as one of the SEC’s top big-play defenders as a freshman, and moreover, defensive tackle Maason Smith’s return from injury is another reason to like LSU’s defense.”

Ultimately, Low and ESPN remain high on the Tigers because of Brian Kelly.

“This isn’t Kelly’s first rodeo. He understands the expectations and understands that LSU will be circled on a lot of teams’ schedules this season. But it’s also an LSU team that improved as the season progressed a year ago, and there’s no reason to believe that Kelly, given his pedigree, won’t get even more out of this team in 2023.”

Greg McElroy on why LSU is a top-five team

Coming into the 2023 season, Greg McElroy is incredibly high on the LSU Tigers, going so far as to call them a top-five team.

“We all know that last year was a huge surprise. Nobody anticipated Brian Kelly winning the SEC West in year No. 1. Nobody anticipated Jayden Daniels playing that well down the stretch. … That was year No. 1. Let’s not forget that. Year No. 1, and it was a resounding success,” McElroy said.

“Now, you return arguably the best receiver core in the SEC and you bring back an offensive line that is bookended by true freshmen, you’re adding more. And they should be bigger, stronger, better than just about anyone in the league. … I think they’re going to be in great shape up front. The only question I have is who gets the touches at running back and what’s the pecking order going to look like there?”