On3 Roundtable: LSU is more comfortable entering 2023

LSU had a very successful first season under Brian Kelly last fall. However, based on their approach coming into this year? Shea Dixon of The Bengal Tiger believes they’re in a far better place heading into 2023 than in 2022.

Dixon spoke with J.D. PicKell on the ‘On3 Roundtable’ about LSU’s mindset as they enter their upcoming campaign. He believes they’re in a much better space if for no other reason than they have less to worry about away from the field and can now focus all of their attention on football.

“They’re comfortable. I think that stands out,” said Dixon. “I think that they enter the year knowing so much more than they did a year ago about who they are as a team, what’s expected from Brian Kelly.”

“Obviously, coming into year one? They were replacing everyone. A new head coach, new coordinators, new philosophies on offense and defense. They had gotten under 40 scholarship players at the end of the Ed Orgeron era. So they had to rebuilt the roster, really, through the transfer portal in addition to high school recruiting,” Dixon explained. “To marry that all together and come away with the results they did a year ago was really impressive. That doesn’t take away from the fact, though, that they weren’t the team that they are now.”

Since LSU laid so much of their groundwork last year, their work on the gridiron this offseason and in fall camp has come naturally to them. With that foundation to build on, Dixon says that’ll be the difference in the Tigers potentially being even better this season than they were in the last one.

“Brian Kelly said it this week. So much of what the team, the players did in fall camp was second nature when, a year ago, it was learning everything day by day and taking it step by step.”

“That ability to kind of skip past all of that and it becomes second nature? And to focus more on your team, execution, things like that? I think that’s what takes LSU to that next level this year and kind of improves them as a team.”

LSU is going to need that development to show right away with who they’ll face in their opener on Sunday. Based on Dixon’s feel for them, though, the Tigers are more prepared for whatever anyone throws their way this time around than they were at this time last year.