Brian Kelly likes the foundation of LSU football after eight wins in the regular season

BATON ROUGE – LSU football teams that win just eight games go unmentioned in the annals of the storied program.

What 8-4 regular seasons and an invite to the Texas Bowl or another bowl game that’s just as empty as expectations demand does is leave you with less-than-pleasant magazines about what went wrong and why the team did it couldn’t get it going against Alabama or Florida or Texas A&M.

Questions swirl. Brian Kelly knows.

And the LSU coach will remember it.

“We’re taking receipts,” Kelly said after the Tigers beat Oklahoma 37-17 at Tiger Stadium on Saturday night to finish the 2024 regular season 8-4. “And we’ll see you in the national championship.”

RATING LSU’S VICTORY OVER OKLAHOMALSU football withdraws from Oklahoma. How did we rate Brian Kelly, Tigers win?

GARRETT NUSMEIERLSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier returns to the Oklahoma game after a brief injury absence

Yes, Kelly said, “See you in the national championship,” just minutes after LSU completed an eight-win season. It may be an awkward time for some, but it shows his belief in the direction this is headed program developed.

Why that is, he said, suggests that the Tigers are relying on a number of younger players this season due to injuries or other reasons.

“We have five freshmen playing in the SEC and they are 5-3 in the SEC. 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. We’re excited about the foundation of this program, playing with young players who are only going to get better, and we’re going to complement those players.”

Junior starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who is eligible for the NFL draft but could return to LSU for his senior season, said it was motivating how close the team came to losing most games. While these losses are frustrating, they have contributed to the foundation of what Kelly, his staff and the players are building in Baton Rouge.

“I think if we do things right and approach our process correctly, we are a dangerous football team,” Nussmeier said. “If we look back, there are three quarters of football that we want back and that could completely change our season and the way it would look now. It’s the frustrating thing but the motivating thing that we were so close.” “

“We will take receipts and remember what people say about this team and who they thought we were. It is not the truth of who we really are and we know our true selves. I’m just excited for us to continue to grow and build on the foundation.”

Another reason Kelly is excited about his team’s future, as he first hinted at on his weekly radio show last week, is that several key draft-eligible players are returning for another season with the Tigers become; They just haven’t officially announced their plans yet.

Players who could declare for the 2025 NFL Draft but still have one year of eligibility include Nussmeier, left and right tackles Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr., star tight end Mason Taylor and safety Say Ryan.

Whatever veterans return, along with the young guys who gained plenty of experience this season and the addition of 16 early enrollees to the nation’s sixth recruiting class, Kelly is looking at reservations for the national title game. Maybe not next year, but he believes a trip is in the future for LSU.

“Seven players with one year of experience who narrowly surpassed Oklahoma. That’s pretty good,” Kelly said. “(Friday) at the hotel there were 21 true freshmen on the travel list; 37 newcomers in winter training for the first time. This is exciting. That, coupled with the return of key players, they haven’t announced yet, but that’s the beauty. “When we’re done with this squad, it will compete at the highest level.

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