LSU football is at a crossroads of sorts entering this season.
Head coach Brian Kelly’s tenure has been without a doubt a success and restored life to the program. However, it’s apparent the Tigers still have to take the next step if they want to be a true championship contender.
“We’re in year three,” Kelly said. “This is the most accountable this group has been… this will be the deepest team that we’ve had.”
Through two seasons, Kelly’s team has reached 10 wins twice and played for an SEC championship.
Last season, though, with the top offense in the nation and the Heisman winner in Jayden Daniels, it’s clear that LSU was capable of more than its No. 12 final ranking. Its defense needs to take the next step for the Tigers to make the 12-team College Football Playoff.
At the same time, LSU’s offense is flipping the page from last year, as it’s breaking in a new quarterback in redshirt junior Garrett Nussmeier and several new starting receivers.
Kelly, as well as Nussmeier, linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. and tight end Mason Taylor talked about that and more at SEC football media day on Monday.
There was plenty of acknowledgement that the defense needed change
There’s no question that what held LSU back last year was its defense, which was stunningly bad and often turned each game into a track meet.
“We had obviously a record-setting offense last year, but we didn’t play to the standard that we needed to play at times defensively,” Kelly said.
However, the team parted ways with its entire defensive staff in the offseason, hiring new defensive coordinator Blake Baker from Missouri, as well as four other assistant coaches on that side of the ball.
“I think we’ve made the necessary strides in the offseason to continue on that growth,” Kelly said.
“From ground zero, building it back up,” Perkins said to local media.
During the offseason, Baker has focused not only on introducing his scheme but also on building relationships with players and getting them excited and prideful about their roles.
“It’s about players truly wanting to be part of those 11 guys running, hitting, being part of that unit,” Kelly said.
New defensive line coach Bo Davis, who departed the same position at Texas, will also be key as he takes over an LSU pass-rush that was ineffective last year.
“The sales pitch was to rebuild the pride and tradition of LSU’s defensive line,” Kelly said on getting Davis to come to LSU. “He wanted to be the architect of bringing that back.”
Harold Perkins Jr. will need to evolve
A key to the defensive turnaround will have to be Perkins, the star linebacker who, after a successful freshman season, seemed to struggle in a vaguely defined role in his sophomore year.
Kelly acknowledged that, in his freshman year, Perkins wasn’t fully developed and had to be utilized in specific situations that earned him a limited reputation as a pass-rush specialist.
Then, in his sophomore year, he wasn’t quite ready physically to play as a linebacker.
This season, there’s no confusion: he’s ready to be an inside linebacker.
“He’s an every-down linebacker that can play inside and out,” Kelly said. “He can obviously rush the passer, but he can also tackle from sideline to sideline.”
Perkins said he’s bulked up to 225 pounds from last season in preparation of the new position.
“It’s football,” Perkins said to local media. “You can’t be no small guy running around here.”
The offense has to completely shift to replace the outgoing talent
This offense won’t be the same, not with offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and three first round picks (Daniels, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.) gone.
The scheme will shift to accommodate the talent that’s now on the roster, according to Nussmeier.
The running game will be reworked without the threat of Daniels taking off, but it’ll be aided by an offensive line considered one of the best in the country.
Not only does the scheme have to shift, but so does the team’s mindset. Nussmeier said the group has to focus on the future, not the past.
“Last year’s group was special, it was unreal,” Nussmeier said to local media. “But it doesn’t matter to us right now.”
Nussmeier’s leadership will be key to leading LSU through this offensive shift.
In discussing how the offense will look, Kelly highlighted the depth and speed of the receiving corps compared to last year, with players like Kyren Lacy and CJ Daniels expected to lead the charge.
He also highlighted Taylor, who’ll step into a bigger role after two years of starting but not being a focal point of the offense.
“It’s hard sometimes when you’re surrounded with three first round draft picks to kind of get the notoriety and publicity,” Kelly said of Taylor.
“If you watch the tape, you can see the plays that he doesn’t always get credit for,” Nussmeier said.
Known for making blocks and doing the dirty work, Taylor will now become a key part of the passing game and a reliable, experienced target for Nussmeier.