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LSU football: Brian Kelly, fellow newcomers sped up transformation
By Les East
Published:
Brian Kelly is a newcomer to the LSU football program.
He has needed to rely heavily on players who also are newcomers as he’s cobbled together a competitive team.
He has leaned on freshmen from the start. So he has identified those most capable of handling the challenge, and has prepared them to do just that.
He didn’t panic and accept anyone who wanted to come through the transfer portal. He judiciously chose those who checked multiple boxes as he evaluated.
It has paid off.
The Tigers sit at No. 7 in the updated College Football Playoff rankings that were released Tuesday night. They are 7-2 and, more importantly, are 5-1 in the Southeastern Conference. And even more importantly, they control their fate and will top the SEC West if they win at Arkansas on Saturday and at Texas A&M 14 days later.
It wasn’t supposed to happen this fast.
But freshmen such as tackles Will Campbell and Emery Jones have been SEC-ready sooner than most players only months removed from high school.
Kelly was patient but not hesitant with 5-star linebacker Harold Perkins, who many observers said was destined to be one of the great linebackers in Tigers history – Devin White good.
The head coach and defensive coordinator Matt House eased the youngster into the rotation, identified areas in which he could thrive and tailored the rotation to maximize his impact.
He made a big impact in the 32-31 overtime victory against Alabama last Saturday, a breakthrough moment he had been building toward for weeks.
“He is a mature kid,” Kelly said. “He knows he is not perfect, but he makes up for a lot of those things with his athletic ability. I think (House) has done a great job of kind of meeting him halfway with some of the things that he is not ready to do but leaning heavily on some of the things that he has that are innate traits that can come in and help us win right away.
“And I think part of it is he is a bit of a throwback in that you don’t have to explain everything. Just line up here, do this, and you’ll be fine.”
Perhaps no position on the team had less experience coming out of spring practice than tight end. During the summer Kelly identified another true freshman, Mason Taylor, as someone who could have a significant impact right away.
He was right.
Taylor has emerged as the No. 3 receiver on the team and caught a touchdown pass and the winning 2-point conversion pass against the Crimson Tide.
“There has been growth physically and mentally,” Kelly said. “The first big thing is he has put on over 20 pounds physically and growing into his body. I think the growth from a mental standpoint has been the knowledge of the game.
“He has been really good. I would be remiss to not point out the fact that he has been put in a very difficult position where a tight end has to do a lot.”
After Kelly took the LSU job he persuaded Myles Brennan to withdraw from the transfer portal and return to the Tigers. Brennan joined redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier and 5-star recruit Walker Howard to give Kelly and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock a solid group of quarterbacks.
Kelly could have been satisfied that his situation there was better than at other positions, and perhaps not addressed quarterback through the portal. But when Arizona State’s Jayden Daniels entered the portal, Kelly and Denbrock saw a potential difference-maker.
They were right.
As Brennan stepped away from the game, Daniels won the starting job. He grew through an uneven start to the season and has become one of the most significant players in the SEC.
Kelly had a vision for the types of players he wanted to attract through the portal, not just ones that would fill in a blank on a roster.
Two such players were Arkansas transfers Greg Brooks Jr. and Joe Foucha at safety. Both are from the New Orleans area and both had shown they could compete in the SEC.
Now they’ll face their former team on Saturday in Fayetteville.
“What was appealing to us as we were putting this back together was to have SEC experience and a connection with the state of Louisiana,” Kelly said. “Both of those guys checked that box for us. What it means to them is that they play for LSU, and they have such a pride in being from the state of Louisiana.”
Another defensive back who has had an impact is Shreveport native Jarrick Bernard-Converse, a transfer from Oklahoma State who made a huge first-quarter interception in the end zone against Alabama.
“Every day you know what you are going to get from him,” Kelly said. “He is a guy that has been rock-solid for us and consistent.”
LSU wasn’t supposed to be this good this fast.
But it is this good this fast because Kelly and his staff identified true freshman who could be good faster than the norm and transfers who immediately filled a variety of needs.
Les East is a New Orleans-based football writer who covers LSU for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow him on Twitter @Les_East.
