Will Campbell: 'This is Year 3, it's time for us to do something'

LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell will likely make a great NFL lineman one day, but he’s focused on doing “something” for the Tigers in 2024.

Not just winning, but winning big. Campbell practically said it’s national championship or bust as the team goes into Year 3 under Brian Kelly.

10 wins? Save it. It’s time for LSU to run the table with Campbell paving the lane there.

“The grit,” Campbell said of what stood out about LSU this year. “I’d say that the grit and the toughness this offseason you know, we had probably one of our best offseasons we’ve had since I’ve been here. Just from a work standpoint, pushing ourselves, guys pushing each other, competing every day and you know, everybody here wants to win. This is Year 3, it’s time for us to do something instead of just winning 10 games. 

“I mean 10 games is cool for other schools. Not here … 10 games gets people fired, people replaced, so it’s time for us to do something a little different and you know, win a national championship.”

Head coach Brian Kelly discussed expectations relative to where he thinks the program actually is during his press conference at the podium from SEC Media Days in Dallas. It’s an interesting comparison when you look at his comments compared to Campbell. 

For Kelly, the pre- and in-season presumptions don’t interest him as much as what his team is doing daily to meet and exceed those goals.

“The easiest way for me to answer the question is that I don’t deal in expectations. I deal within a process of how we do things on a day-to-day basis,” Kelly said. “I know that’s not the answer you want.

“We don’t deal on a day-to-day basis with those expectations as much as are we doing the things necessary that allows us to stick with our process? Because we’re not about the results as much as are we making progress towards our ultimate goals?”

The three previous coaches at LSU have not helped Kelly in this context. Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Ed Orgeron each won a national championship apiece in the past three tenures since the turn of the century. Exactly what Campbell spelled out going into “Year 3.” 

Now, that same anticipation falls on Kelly. LSU opens the 2024 season against USC in an anticipated non-conference showdown in Las Vegas on September 1.