Brian Kelly Receives Major Update on Garrett Nussmeier’s Successor Amid ACC Recruiting Threat to LSU

It is now time to think about an LSU team post the Garrett Nussmeier era. This will be the last year we see the gunslinger at work in CFB. What does Brian Kelly have in mind for his long-term replacement? Nussmeier is expected to go as the No. 1 pick in the draft and also may win the Heisman, according to some experts. Whoever the baton is passed down to will have huge shoes to fill. But looking at the way Kelly and Co. are advancing in the 2026 recruiting class, they might be close to landing a 5-star prospect who looks like a good candidate.

After Nussmeier, Kelly might look at Mississippi State-transfer Michael Van Buren Jr., Ju’Juan Johnson, or Colin Hurley. But Kelly is also in hot pursuit of another QB who can bring some serious oomph to this unit. He paid LSU an official visit recently, and things look good for the HC. But it’s not a done deal yet. In a June 4 episode of After Further Review: LSU, On3’s LSU recruiting insider Shea Dixon spoke with Matt Moscona. He cleared up the picture about 4-star QB Bowe Bentley’s chances of landing at Baton Rouge.

“When he came in March, and we’ve talked about this, Matt, that visit really pushed LSU up alongside Oklahoma. And this is a kid growing up in an area of Texas where there’s a lot of OU fans,” Dixon pointed out. Bentley, so far, has only two official visits planned. One was to LSU, and the other will be to Norman. “I’m not rooting for the Sooners… but Oklahoma has prioritized him as well. So, you know that you’re up against the school that kind of has that connection to him,” the insider added further.

However, there is also another crucial factor that affects Bentley’s decision. In recent years, Oklahoma has also produced some brilliant QBs. Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray won the Heisman back-to-back in Lincoln Riley’s tenure. LSU, on the other hand, has a 2019 winner in Joe Burrow and 2023’s Jayden Daniels to add to their list.

“A bit of a shift there in terms of which school can actually pitch the quarterback angle a bit better,” Dixon highlighted. Oklahoma being the only other top player in Bentley’s recruitment right now changes things a little for LSU. But there’s a good shot of Kelly making it to the end. “This [visit] was dad, mom, girlfriend, brothers, I mean, everybody that kind of is around him and his family… they’re taking this pretty seriously,“ Dixon revealed.

Bentley is rated as the No. 5 QB in the class according to On3. He is a dual-threat QB and threw for a whopping 3,211 yards and 47 TDs in his 2024 season. To that, he adds 923 rushing yards and 16 TDs as well. Bentley also has an NIL valuation of $425,000. When it comes to retaining commits and NILs, we know how LSU fared last year. Georgia was a player too, but it no longer holds an official visit from Bentley. It’s not going to be an easy fight for Brian Kelly to score a resounding win with the QB. On the other side of the ball as well, the HC is facing a serious threat in his campaign for another prospect.

Brian Kelly losing another top-rated target?

LSU has a golden record when it comes to sending defensive linemen to the NFL. The success stories of Glenn Jamon Dorsey and Arden Key are proof of this. And yet, 4-star prospect Lamar Brown is keeping his options open, despite being a Louisiana native. A great talent who plays both sides of the ball is currently being pursued by Brian Kelly as a DL. He favors LSU a lot because of the proximity factor. “It’d be hard for me to leave Louisiana,” he said. “But it may not be the best option for me. That’s why I’m looking at other teams and relationships with other coaches,” Brown also added.

This opens his gates a little wider, and in come Texas, Texas A&M, and Miami. And we know how smooth Mario Cristobal can be in recruiting. On3’s Steve Wiltfong reported in a June 2 episode of On3 Recruits, “He had a great time at Miami with their coaches, players, and other recruits, and he loves the plan that coach Mario Cristobal and the 2nd line coaches have for him. And he likes that coach Cristobal is in the trenches and says that would play a big part in his commitment. So Miami is one of the front runners for Lamar Brown.”

That puts Kelly at a serious disadvantage. Brown is a brilliant prospect who is also a track star. He has already earned three back-to-back MaxPreps All-American honors and has the same number of Louisiana 3A shot-put titles. He’s marked as the No. 1 athlete in the recruiting class by On3. But Brian Kelly still has some leverage because Brown will officially visit Baton Rouge on June 20. Wiltfong also noted that LSU commit Jabari Mack also had Texas as his top choice but chose the Tigers in the end.

The LSU Tigers’ front office is charging ahead in the 2026 recruiting class. However, Bowe Bentley and Lamar Brown are key prospects, given their brilliant talents. But Brian Kelly has to up the ante in his pursuit of these boys to drive the pitch home.