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Brian Kelly and LSU are ‘all in’ for 2025 season, says Greg McElroy
By Paul Harvey
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Brian Kelly has not been bad across his first 3 seasons at LSU, but that is not the standard Kelly was brought on to maintain after leaving Notre Dame.
Across his first 3 seasons with the Tigers, Kelly is 29-11 with 3 bowl victories under his belt while also producing a Heisman Trophy winner in the form of Jayden Daniels. However, LSU has not won the SEC Championship in that time frame or advanced to the College Football Playoff, including the first-ever 12-team field this past season.
The good news? ESPN’s Greg McElroy believes Brian Kelly has his program poised to go “all in” for the 2025 season.
“If you look at one offseason theme for LSU, and for the last 2 national champions, what’s one thing they have used to describe their approach to the offseason? That would be ‘all in.’ Brian Kelly and LSU have alignment, and it feels like they’re pushing all their chips into the (middle of) the table,” explained McElroy.
“This is the year where we have the quarterback, we have the personnel coming back, and we have the ability to attract pieces in the portal that can get us over the hump. It feels like this is the year they’ve had circled, and it does feel like with their aggressiveness in the portal this offseason that they should feel pretty excited about where things are going.”
As for the outlook of the Tigers, LSU checks in at +2000 in the early odds at DraftKings to win the national title next season. That mark ties LSU for the 8th-best odds in the country alongside Tennessee and Clemson, and use the Louisiana sports betting app for the best offerings all season long.
That doesn’t mean LSU is a lock to come out of the gates blazing, especially with a season-opening road game at Clemson. Fans will also remember Kelly is 0-3 in season openers so far with the Tigers, something that undoubtedly needs to change this season.
McElroy also pointed out his concerns, specifically on the defensive side of the ball, but still sees an LSU team capable of weathering the storm.
“There are parts I’m a little concerned about. The defense gave up 24 points a game. That’s a problem. I think Harold Perkins has long been a bit of an enigma… You also have to replace 3 offensive linemen that are really really good,” said McElroy. “That’s something to be concerned about as well… and the schedule is pretty tough.”
So, can LSU fight its way to the Playoff in a season when the Tigers have a lot of things going for them? We’ll fight out this fall.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
