DALLAS — Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels is no longer at LSU. The Tigers also lost wide receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. to the NFL Draft.
Three key players from the nation’s best offense are gone, along with three more NFL Draft picks. Despite these losses, LSU can be even better in 2024 because of one main reason: Brian Kelly’s Year 3 magic.
In Kelly’s previous coaching stops at Central Michigan, Cincinnati and Notre Dame, he's had remarkable success in his third season at each school.
In 2006, Central Michigan went 9-4. In 2009, Cincinnati went 12-0 and was ranked as high as No. 4 before playing in the Sugar Bowl. In 2012, Notre Dame went 12-1, ranking as high as No. 1 and losing in the BCS title game to Alabama.
“Each stop along the way is similar (in Year 3) and has really the same process in terms of how I've gone about building the program,” Kelly said at SEC Media Days on Monday. “So, this is the most accountable team that I've had.
“This has got the best leadership that I've had here at LSU — and not because they're better kids. It's just that they've been at this process now for three years. There's trust within the ranks. They're trusting each other, they're trusting the coaching, they're trusting what we're doing on the day-to-day basis, so that has generally led to success on the field.”
In 20 years as a head coach, Kelly has an impressive .729 winning percentage. That pales in comparison to Kelly’s third-year winning percentage: an insane .868 with 33 wins and five losses.
“Now, all those teams in Year 3 have caught the ball, tackled the football, played their best when their best is needed,” Kelly said. “You know all those things we haven't done yet (at LSU), but the similarities are what I’ve just laid out is they've been the most accountable, they've been the most trusting. They’ve had the best leadership.”
LSU opens the season against USC in Las Vegas. The Tigers will be without Daniels, Nabers and Thomas. Unproven quarterback Garrett Nussmeier takes over for Daniels.
The schedule eventually features games against projected Top 25 teams in Ole Miss, at Texas A&M, Alabama and Oklahoma.
Yet, Kelly remains confident. This is Year 3 at LSU after all. When asked what he’s looking forward to most this season in Tiger Stadium, Kelly knew what he wanted.
“Scoring a sh*t load of touchdowns,” Kelly joked.
That could very well happen if this LSU team performs like other Year 3 teams from Kelly's past stops.
“We're able to see on a day-to-day basis, even in the offseason, [this team has the same characteristics of previous Year 3 teams], so we clearly can see that this football team is on that same track,” Kelly said. “We're in Year 3. This is the most accountable that group has been. There is trust within the group.
“This will be the deepest team that we've had. I can tell you in Year 3, I've had really good success with getting our football team to be the most accountable, trusting team that I've had here at LSU.
“That's usually been pretty good at my other stops.”
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