Stephen A. Smith believes Brian Kelly is 'in a world of trouble' following Bryce Underwood flip

Things went from bad to worse for the LSU football program this week. After dropping three straight games to fall to 6-4 on the year, the Tigers lost the No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2025 in Bryce Underwood to Michigan on Thursday.

Underwood flipped to Michigan less than two weeks before Signing Day after committing to LSU back in January.

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith believes that Underwood flipping, along with the way the season is unfolding, has LSU head coach Brian Kelly in some serious trouble.

“Let me say this, I think Brian Kelly is in a world of trouble at LSU. I think this is the kind of situation right here that can cost him his job,” Stephen A. Smith said Friday on ESPN First Take. “Because we saw them get romped on national television by Alabama. We’ve seen them look like a shell of themselves. They’ve already got [four] losses on the season.

“And then to lose a top recruit — you didn’t lose it to Kirby Smart. You didn’t lose it to Prime Time. You lost it to Sherrone Moore at Michigan. That ain’t Jim Harbaugh coaching at Michigan. Moore, no disrespect to him, but I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, it’s not about just the prospect you lost. It’s who you lost him to.’ And that is an indictment on Brian Kelly and what is happening at LSU.”

Kelly is in his third season at LSU and is coming off of back-to-back 10-win seasons. The hope was that the Tigers program would reach another level under Kelly in 2024, but that clearly has not happened. Things have gone downhill quickly, too.

Just a few weeks ago, LSU was ranked in the top 10 heading into a showdown at Texas A&M. Now the Tigers are outside of the top 25 after dropping three straight games, and the future doesn’t look as bright with Bryce Underwood no longer in the fold.

“I think it is official — Brian Kelly is in a world of trouble at LSU,” Smith said.

ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, who played at LSU, further explained why the loss of Bryce Underwood is so big.

“He’s also been committed to LSU since he was a [junior]. The entire team he put together this summer was put together around him with LSU commits and other LSU recruits,” Clark said. “This kid was leading the charge for the 2025 committed [players]… so this is huge.”