Brian Kelly made no guarantees, but he also didn’t backtrack.
Last summer, Kelly expressed confidence that LSU football could contend for a national championship in 2024. He’s holding firm to that timeline. Although he isn’t making any promises or bold predictions, LSU’s third-year coach believes the Tigers have shown enough defensive development to be national championship contenders this season.
“I think we’ll be a much more balanced football team going into Year 3,” Kelly told me.
In early April, I sat down with Kelly for a comprehensive interview to discuss his Year 3 expectations, the impact of Nick Saban’s retirement at Alabama on LSU, and whether he considered the Michigan job after reports surfaced last winter naming him as a potential successor to Jim Harbaugh. (Michigan promoted from within and appointed Sherrone Moore as coach.)
Here is an excerpt from that interview. Questions and answers have been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
**After losing talent like Jayden Daniels and two star wide receivers, how can this team be better?**
**Kelly:** The sum has to be greater than any one of its parts. You’re not going to replace those guys individually; you have to replace them collectively. For example, at the quarterback position, we can’t replace Jayden Daniels and his running ability. We’ll need to rely on our offensive line, running back, quarterback, and receivers to excel at perimeter blocking to enhance our running game. It’s a collective effort.
We’re going to depend on seven receivers to compensate for the loss of two. The overall sum must be greater than the individual parts because replacing three first-round draft picks individually is impossible. Could some players have standout performances? Yes. I believe Kyren Lacy is quite good, and some others are stepping up into larger roles. Chris Hilton seems to have what it takes.
**What makes you think the defense can improve?**
**Kelly:** On the back end of our defense, we played many young players. They’ve matured and grown. They were tested under fire last year, playing before they were ready. I believe those growing pains will pay off. They have to, as those are the players we’ve recruited and developed. Based on what I’ve seen so far, we’re going to be better in that area.
