Talking about the 2025 path? It’s no joyride for the LSU head coach, Brian Kelly. College football critic Paul Finebaum had already stirred some fear as he said, “The hype for LSU football is not hype. I think it’s real. The question I have is how does coach Kelly navigate that schedule is daunting.” At the same time, it’s Year 4 for Kelly, his ultimate litmus test.

If anyone can turn his luck, breaking the LSU drought of the National Championship ever since Kelly took the role, it’s their quarterback, Garrett Nussmeier. But recently, LSU’s weapon, too, is going through a rough patch with all the injury scares. Kelly is making him play with extreme caution. And Friday, August 15, was an example of the head coach living on high alert.

The Tigers held their 14th practice on Friday morning. The primary observations? Junior linebacker Whit Weeks did not participate. On the other hand, Chris Hilton and safety Jardin Gilbert were not at practice because they graduated. But what caught the fans’ attention was Kelly limiting Nussmeier in drills and overall work. On August 14, X account @ParishBuilt shared an LSU insider’s take on Kelly’s boys’ Week 3 of Fall Camp. He shared,  “LSU had a 90-minute walkthrough at the indoor facility on Friday… Garrett Nussmeier was there, but Michael Van Buren took most of the reps.” But why?

As per the analyst’s report, “Kelly told us they chart Garrett Nussmeier’s throws, so when he hits a certain number, they scale him back. So this was the day that really Van Buren got the bulk of the reps throwing the football.” That’s how the LSU backup quarterback,  Michael Van Buren Jr, had a strong day for the Tigers. On the other hand, Kelly’s quarterback utilized a partial recovery day with LSU watching his pitch count. Was there some more injury concern for the quarterback? No, plain load management. 

After all, things are a bit sensitive right at the moment for Nussmeier when it comes to his health. Kelly’s quarterback re-aggravated a pre-existing condition with patellar tendonitis in his left knee last week from a procedure he had done back in 2023. As the LSU head coach noted, “With Nuss, it’s more about managing his throws. He made a number of throws where we give him some time to back off. He’ll be back out tomorrow, full go, scrimmaging. Again, it’s just maintenance on some of these guys.”

Looks like Kelly has learned from his mistakes. He assured that Nussmeier will practice fully during LSU’s scrimmage Saturday night, August 16, in Tiger Stadium. 

LSU legends’ reminder about the mounting pressure for Brian Kelly

In their last practice, Nussmeier’s form was wobbly. So much so that the head coach and offensive coordinator, Joe Sloan, could not wait for some time to have a talk with him, after wrapping up the practice. As Jacques Doucet wrote on X, “During 7 on 7 red zone work during @LSUfootball practice. Garrett Nussmeier threw a high fade towards the corner that was intercepted by Mansoor Delane. Nussmeier wasn’t happy at all about what happened, had [a] long discussion with Brian Kelly and Joe Sloan after [the] play.” Now, is Nussmeier the only one who has the critical eyes of others on him? 

No. Kelly also got to clear some mess after their notable alumni, two-time All-SEC Todd McClure and Justin Vincent, who ranked eighth in LSU history in 100-yard games, came with a stark reality check. Doucet shared clips on X from their interviews. McClure reminded Kelly, “What’s happened for the last two to three years in the openers, there’s a little pressure there. To me, if you don’t respond to the ball quickly, the pressure starts to build a little bit. I think Coach Kelly knows that. His guys know that.” While the debate continues whether Kelly is a successful coach or not, one thing is out there in the broad daylight. That’s the Tigers’ curse with opening games. 

For the last five years, LSU failed to bring home a victory during their opening matchups. 2024 LSU, Vegas Kickoff Classic, USC lost 20-27. In 2023, Florida State, Kelly’s boys fell prey to a 45-24 loss. The previous year, in 2022, too, the Seminoles handed LSU a 23-24 defeat. UCLA crushed them 38-27 in 2021, and they lost to Mississippi State 34-44 in 2020. Now, this five-year gap demands a lot of work from Kelly’s boys to fill.

Here came some more brutal warnings by Vincent. If Brian Kelly is having a superiority complex, it’s high time for him to get rid of it. As the legend shared, “You’re gonna play as a good team where preseason five or six All Americans, like it’s not gonna be a cakewalk by any means. I think they are just as good as we are. We have just as many good players as they do.” He is overprotecting Garrett Nussmier; that’s okay. But he’d better come off as a stronger force.