As if losing Bryce Underwood to the Michigan Wolverines was not enough for Brian Kelly. The LSU Tigers’ head coach’s seat is now getting too hot to handle. Courtesy? The rich history of the program. LSU has claimed four national championships so far and 16 conference championships. Unfortunately, none of the victories are credited to Kelly’s name. What further adds to the heat is that despite having a “loaded class,” the program lands in the backseat of the Natty race. So the moral of the story? It exposes Kelly’s shortcomings as the head coach. Want some more reality checks? History is going to repeat itself. Not in the good ways, of course. National analyst sounded alarm that Kelly is likely to catch Jimbo Fisher’s $76 million fate, in case he does not buckle up!  

The 2024 season showed some of the worst times for Kelly’s squad. They reached rock bottom after a three-game losing streak with losses to Texas A&M, Alabama, and Florida. The LSU Tigers’ offense came into the 2024 season clicking on all cylinders, and despite a hiccup in Week 1, the program bounced back with Garrett Nussmeier at the helm. They then gained momentum and rode a six-game winning streak after the season-opening loss to Southern Cal. But the wheels of the Tigers’ run game fell off. After Kelly’s boys got into a triple loss loop, the Tigers ranked 92nd in sacks per dropback (7.1%), 113th in turnover rate (3.0%), and 120th in success rate (35.5%). The end result? They wrapped up the season with a 9-4 overall record. Now, there is one question looming in LSU’s fans’ hearts. 

‘Can Brian Kelly be the messiah this season?’ But ex-Cleveland star Gerald V Dixon and national analyst Brad Crawford threw cold water on their aspirations. On the April 30 episode of the 247 Sports podcast, the analyst came up with a segment for ‘Teams With Most Playoff Pressure’. The first rank went to Kelly’s Tigers, who has the maximum pressure. The Tigers now have +1800 odds to win the 2025 National Championship Title. Plus, their hefty NIL investment makes the pressure 100x.

According to a story from Pete Nakos of On3, the Tigers’ budget in the NIL department has more than doubled in the months since losing Underwood. Going by the figures, it hits north of the $18 million range and is reportedly $20.5 million. But here comes a reality check. 

As Dixon shared, “You are the last coach out of four coaches to be the only one who has not been to the playoffs, or brought us home a National Championship. So, it’s due time here, when you cash in and put your own money, you are truly invested.” Kelly, along with his wife Paqui, has pledged to personally match donations to the Tiger Athletic Foundation’s Excellence Fund up to $1 million. But even then, he might not be able to dodge his ugly fate. As Crawford drew a reference, “This is starting to feel very similar to 2022 signing class at Texas A&M under Jimbo Fisher. The highest rating class in 247Sports and then in a year and a half later, Jimbo Fisher is fired, they pay him a maximum buyout, because they had not made a playoff or even challenged for an SEC crown yet.”

Texas A&M had to decide with Fisher as they believed that the program got “stuck in neutral” under Fisher. So, they did not mind shelling out $76 million to get rid of him. In that way, Kelly can no longer play it safe.      

Things Brian Kelly needs to remember before counting on Garrett Nussmeier

Maybe the fear of tampering got too much on the Tigers’ head coach. So, he thought of locking the gates tightly and cancelling the spring games. As analyst Cousin Shane shared how Kelly had fallen in his eyes. To him, the move came off as an excuse for their lack of preparedness. “This is just a coward’s way. It’s like my kid explaining why she didn’t do her homework. I’m like, come on, man, you know why you did bad on this quiz—because your a– didn’t study.”

Now, in case Kelly thinks that he can count on his returning quarterback, Nussmeier, to end his drought and bring him the Natty, he got hit up by a bold verdict. Greg McElroy placed Kelly’s quarterback at No.5 in his list of ‘Top 10 quarterbacks heading into 2025.’ After all, the 2024 season had moments when the quarterback had faltered. Out of all, the biggest turndown was Nussmeier coming up with three interceptions against the Aggies, the highest in his 2024 chapter. So, here came some advice for Nussmeier.

Brian Kelly’s quarterback needs to learn when to ‘check it down’ and make himself understand that taking things slow is no sign of weakness. So, are there any doubts about Garrett Nussmeier’s talents? Definitely not. As Greg McElroy noted, “He can do it, he’s plenty athletic. He just didn’t really show a real willingness to do it last year.” So, is 2025 finally the year Brian Kelly silences the doubters?