Brian Kelly confident LSU will reach national championship | LSU

After LSU ended the regular season with a win over Oklahoma on Saturday night, coach Brian Kelly expressed confidence in the program’s future.

“We’ll take receipts and see you at the national championship,” Kelly said. “This team is building.”

LSU has an 8-4 record heading into its bowl game, but Kelly believes the team is moving in the right direction after a disappointing third season of his tenure.

He believes in the young talent on the roster and said LSU will be “very aggressive” in the transfer portal while bringing back other key players.

“Look, I know the standards here,” Kelly said. “Everyone wants to win every game. We wanted to win every game. We are not happy when we lose a game. But we’re excited about the foundation of this program, working with young players who are getting better and better, and we’ll complement those players.”

LSU honored eight defensive starters on Senior Day Saturday, a sign of turnover on that side of the ball, but one thing that gave Kelly confidence was several underclassmen playing significant snaps in the 37-17 win played.

“We have some great freshmen and I know we’re going to go into the portal and get some pieces that we need,” second-year linebacker Whit Weeks said. “I’m really excited to see where this team goes.”

Weeks led the team with 15 tackles, and freshman linebacker Davhon Keys recorded a career-high 10 against Oklahoma. Kelly said freshman defensive tackle Dominick McKinley, a former five-star recruit, could not be blocked after playing with Two sacks, the most of his career.

LSU also received contributions from second-year cornerback Ashton Stamps, first-year defensive lineman Ahmad Breaux, first-year defensive end Gabriel Reliford and first-year cornerback PJ Woodland. You have played in every game this season.

“There are seven players with one year of experience on defense who narrowly beat Oklahoma,” Kelly said, “and they beat a really good Vanderbilt team the week before.”

After LSU was pushed out of championship contention by a three-game losing streak, Kelly emphasized that the Tigers had leads in the second half of three of their four losses. He reminded the players of that last week, and team leaders were convinced they were better than their record suggested.

“If we do things right and approach our process correctly, we are a dangerous football team,” quarterback Garrett Nussmeier said. “When we look back, we want three quarters of football back that could completely change our season and the way it would look now. I think that’s the frustrating thing, but I think that’s the motivating thing. We were right there. We were so close. We’re in a bit of a crisis, and you can’t do that in the SEC.”

Kelly called those three losses “frustrating” because the Tigers could have won but failed to perform in crucial moments. Still, he was proud of the way LSU responded. He said the players “could have easily collapsed” without being able to play for a championship and they won their last two games.

“I didn’t come here to win 8-4,” Kelly said. “I’m not happy with 8:4. Nobody in this room is happy about being 8-4. What they are happy about is that they played well and bounced back after a three-game losing streak.”

Kelly likes the team’s foundation, which is progressing with freshmen showing signs of development and 16 early enrollees in the 2025 recruiting class. Despite losing a commitment from five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, the Tigers are ranked No. 6 in the country just days before the early signing deadline, according to 247Sports.

Several draft-eligible players could also return. Kelly said: “A number of key players will choose to return” who have not yet announced their plans. One of them could be Nussmeier, although Nussmeier said Saturday he had not yet made a decision. Kelly hinted at staying on the offensive line Monday during his radio show.

“When we’re done with this squad,” Kelly said, “this squad is going to compete at the highest level.”

It has now been five years since LSU won its last national championship. Since then, the Tigers have changed coaches and have an overall record of 39-23. They are 28-11 so far under Kelly, who left Notre Dame to win his first Division I national title.

“I’m excited about our future, regardless of what people think,” Kelly said. “And that’s okay. Everyone has a right to their opinion. But no one knows what it looks like from the inside. That’s where I have the best perspective.

“And you can write away and have your own opinion, and that’s fine. That’s why you have a pulpit to do that. I have a better view of it. I’m not listening to what you have to say. And we’re going to build it the way we know how, and we’ll see you in the national championship game.”