Kelly's First Goal for LSU: 1-0, for Once

ATLANTA — LSU coach Brian Kelly knows the expectations for his team are always high, and get higher when the gymnastics and baseball programs are winning national champions. He also knows that he’s felt the heat from fans immediately, because the dreaded “0-1” has been next to his team in the standings every season he’s been in Baton Rouge.

“We’ve also been 0-3 in openers at LSU under my watch. We needed to do some things differently this year,” he said at SEC Media Days Monday. “That is embrace this opener. Embracing it in a manner that this is a big game. It’s a tangible goal for our football team to want to be 1-0. That’s not let’s warm up into the season.”

Much of the 2024 team that started 0-1 and got smacked by Texas A&M 38-23 in College Station is gone, including seven players taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. But Kelly and the Tigers wasted little time in reloading, adding quality players through the transfer portal.

“We went into the transfer portal to really build depth, championship level depth across the board,” he said. “Guys like (defensive end) Patrick Payton from Florida State; (wide receiver) Barion Brown from Kentucky; (WR) Nic Anderson (from Oklahoma), (DE) Jack Pyburn (from Florida State), (tight end) Bauer Sharp (from OU), just to name a few. Mansoor Delane (from Virginia Tech) at the safety and corner position.”

LSU does return some key players, including running back Caden Durham, All-SEC linebacker Whit Weeks and linebacker Harold Perkins. But the most important returnee is likely quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, a probably preseason All-SEC selection later this week.

“Every day (Nussmeier) comes to workouts, every day he comes to practice, he’s looking for areas to improve on,” Kelly said. “I would tell you that experience is going to be his best teacher in the SEC. Having played a year in the SEC and seeing what needs to happen on a consistent basis is most important. He brings the individual trait that coaches love because he wants to be taught, coached.”

One major problem LSU had last year was dealing with opposing quarterbacks — specifically, mobile ones. A&M’s Marcel Reed and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe were just two examples of quarterbacks who destroyed the Tiger defense with their legs. With the additions of transfers, younger players becoming more experienced and freshman arriving in the class of 2025, Kelly believes LSU’s defense will be much improved this season.

“Blake Baker is, in my opinion, elite in the field of defensive coordinators. We needed to give him some more tools,” Kelly said. “Look, I’ve been the head football coach at LSU and I know that we have not played the kind of defense necessary to win a national championship. I think we put a roster together in this offseason, along with young players that have taken lumps along the way as they’ve developed, and given Blake now the tools to play championship level defense.”

One of LSU’s strong points in 2024 was its offensive line, but it lost four starters to the NFL — including left tackle Will Campbell, who went fourth overall to New England. Kelly noted that the Tigers will have to deal with an O-line overhaul, but said he was “bullish” on the group.

“We have been grooming some players for their chance and their opportunity. You remember I started Emery (Jones) and Will as true freshman in the SEC and they held their own. We think we have gone a step further, that we don’t have a start a true freshman this year but guys we developed,” he said. “Then we went into the transfer portal, brought in Braelin

Moore at center, (right tackle) Josh Thompson, some veteran guys from the Big Ten and the ACC who have been in wars. So you’re adding those two guys to the mix. DJ Chester started every game for us last year at center … (he) can play guard or center. And then we’ve got some younger players that are going to step up that started in the Bowl game, and we’ll see how that plays.”

At least on the surface, Kelly appears confident LSU can improve over last year’s 8-4 record that included big losses to its major rivals. The word “national championship” was mentioned in his comments more than once.

But they have to get past Clemson first.

Schedule

Aug. 30: @Clemson

Sept. 6: La. Tech

Sept. 13: Florida

Sept. 20: Southeast Louisiana

Sept. 27: @Ole Miss

Oct. 11: South Carolina

Oct. 18: @Vanderbilt

Oct. 25: Texas A&M

Nov. 8: @Alabama

Nov. 15: Arkansas

Nov. 22: Western Kentucky

Nov. 29: @Oklahoma

Projected lineup:

QB: #13, Garrett Nussmeier (RS-Sr.)

RB: #29, Caden Durham (So.)

TE: #14 Trey’Dez Green (So.)

WR (X): #4, Nic Anderson (Jr.-TR.)

WR (Z): #6 Barion Brown (Sr.-TR.)

WR (SLOT): #1, Aaron Anderson (Jr.-TR.)

LT: #71 Tyree Adams (RS-So.)

LG: #65 Paul Mubenga (RS-So.)

C: #79, DJ Chester (RS-So.)

RG: #78, Coen Echols (RS-Fr.)

RT: #75, Weston Davis (RS-Fr.)

DE: #44, Jack Pyburn (Sr.-TR.)

DT: #96, Dominick McKinley (So.)

DT: #93, Ahmad Breaux (So.)

DE: #6, Patrick Payton (RS-Sr.-TR.)

WLB: #7, Harold Perkins (RS-Jr.)

MLB: #40, Whit Weeks (Jr.)

NICKEL: #11, PJ Woodland (So.)

CB: #1, Ashton Stamps (Jr.)

SS: #25, Javien Toviano (Jr.)

FS: #10, Dashawn Spears (So.)

CB: #4, Mansoor Delane (Sr.-TR.)