Brian Kelly’s time at LSU didn’t bring much success for the program. Not even a single playoff experience. However, the new head coach, Lane Kiffin, is still recognizing the talent in his staff as the Tigers fill a key position.

LSU has promoted JR Belton as the program’s new assistant general manager. Belton had joined the Tigers in 2021 as the director of scouting and earned the trust of both Ed Orgeron and Brian Kelly during his time in Baton Rouge. He has been a consistent presence behind the scenes, helping to keep the program going when coaching staffs changed, and expectations stayed sky-high.

He most recently served as Kelly’s director of football operations. Kiffin is now planning to take full advantage of Belton’s institutional expertise, promoting him to a more senior position that puts him right in the center of LSU’s future goals.

During his run as Director of Recruiting at LSU, he played a major role in landing some of the nation’s top high school talent while also helping them build the No. 1-rated transfer portal class in 2025. The Tigers have consistently remained among the recruiting elite, with their last three signing classes finishing in the Top 10 nationally, including a No. 5 in 2023, No. 7 in 2024, and No. 8 in 2025.

He led LSU’s recruiting efforts and contributed to the recruitment of an impressive 59 four- and five-star prospects, showing both his talent recognition skills and his ability to build relationships with recruits.

And long before he was helping assemble elite recruiting classes, Belton was making plays on the field himself. He was a standout quarterback at West Monroe High School in north Louisiana, where he earned a reputation by leading his team to an 11-1 record in his senior year. He later pursued his football career at Louisiana Tech, where he earned a business degree in 2019.

Belton represents the behind-the-scenes foundation of LSU’s future but he isn’t the only key piece Lane Kiffin is working to secure.

Lane Kiffin locks in his core

Charlie Weis Jr. stepped in and put an end to the noise just when it looked like Lane Kiffin might have to repel another NFL raid on his staff. Dianna Russini of The Athletic revealed that Weis Jr. had discussed his candidacy for OC job with the Philadelphia Eagles before dropping out of the race. Weis made it clear where his heart is in Baton Rouge.

Chris Low of On3 reported that professional clubs are still interested in Weis Jr. because of the outstanding work he did with Kiffin at Ole Miss, referring to him as a “commodity” in the coaching community. The New York Giants are the most recent team to try their hand at hiring an offensive coordinator. Jaxson Dart, Weis’s former QB, added to the drama by praising his former coach and emphasizing how much Weis helped him grow as a player.

“I loved playing with Charlie,” Dart told Big Blue View’s Ed Valentine in an exclusive interview. “Made tremendous strides as a player each year playing under him. Obviously, just have a great relationship with him, his dad [Charlie Weis Sr.], his wife Jen. They’re a great family, and I couldn’t say anything bad about Charlie.

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“He’s a great coach. He’s a bright young mind in this game, and he’s going to have a long career and is going to win a lot of championships. Whatever level that is, I have all the respect in the world for him.”

While the Giants may hope to reunite Dart with his former play-caller, Weis is happy to assist Kiffin in transforming LSU for the time being. Baton Rouge still has its offensive architect, and Lane Kiffin wouldn’t have it any other way.