There were a lot of questions when [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] came to LSU from Notre Dame.
Would he still be able to be successful in the best conference in college football? How would he rebuild a team that was so depleted by transfers and opt-outs? Would he be able to recruit against the other SEC powerhouses?
In his first year on the bayou, Kelly answered those questions in a positive manner. Kelly took a 6-7 LSU team that lost almost half of its roster to a 9-4 record with a chance at ten wins. To rebuild the team, Kelly turned to the transfer portal where he signed 15 transfers as well as 15 high school kids.
In his short time recruiting for the Tigers, he was able to bring home the No. 7 overall class in 2022. So what grade does that result in, according to On3’s Jesse Simonton?
Brian Kelly, LSU: A-
LSU’s last two showings — a pathetic loss at Texas A&M and then a blowout in the SEC Championship to No. 1 Georgia — might make Kelly’s grade seem slightly inflated, but if you take a macro look at the Tigers’ entire season, the former Notre Dame coach did a really nice job in Year 1.
The Tigers were projected to win around seven games, yet it upset Alabama, won at Florida and held on to beat Arkansas to win the SEC West.
Kelly inherited a roster that had fewer than 40 players in their bowl game last December, but he rebuilt the roster through the transfer portal and he just inked a Top 6 recruiting class in his first full cycle.
He hired a great staff, especially DC Matt House, and has quickly changed some of the cultural issues that plagued LSU’S program during the end of the Ed Orgeron era.
I’ll take an A-. no one expected LSU to be where they are this year. No one thought the Tigers would get anywhere near the SEC Championship and a 10-win season, but here we are.
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