coaching grades – Syndication Server

Brian Kelly receives an ‘A’ grade from Greg McElroy for 2022 season

A 10-win season, an upset over Alabama and an SEC West title were more than enough for Kelly to receive high marks in Year 1.

It’s hard to find much fault in Brian Kelly’s Year 1 campaign at LSU.

It certainly wasn’t perfect, as frustrating losses to Florida State, Tennessee and Texas A&M all attest, but with an upset win over Alabama, an SEC West title and a 10-win season, things are certainly looking up on the bayou.

There were questions about fit when Kelly, who had never coached south of Cincinnati and had spent more than a decade at Notre Dame, was hired by the Tigers last offseason. But he quickly dispelled those concerns, and his first season received an “A” grade from Greg McElroy on ESPN’s Always College Football.

“Brian Kelly finishing the season 10-4 was ridiculous,” McElroy said on Always College Football. “Like a lot of people were poking fun at Brian Kelly a year ago this time. He’s not gonna fit, he’s got (saying) family (with a bizarre accent), all this other nonsense okay, but the guy can flat out coach football and we know this.

“Alright, they were picked to finish fifth in the SEC West in the preseason. They captured the division for the first time since 2019 and beat Alabama at Tiger Stadium for the first time since 2010. So, it’s been a while since they’ve taken care of business against the Tide. And LSU was one of those situations where they were this close and you look at how they finished, they might be poised to repeat this upcoming year with some of the pieces they brought in.

“Some of the guys that decided to return, they might be well positioned. This is not going to be a one year thing Brian Kelly’s about to have this thing rolling, or at least it feels that way. So he of course gets an ‘A.’”

As McElroy mentions, LSU did lose some talent but also returns quite a bit of production in addition to the nation’s best transfer class and a top-10 recruiting haul. What Kelly is building at LSU could be special, and it seems the national media is taking notice.

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What grade did Brian Kelly earn in Year 1 at LSU?

It wasn’t all smooth sailing in Year 1 for Kelly, but he earned high marks after winning 10 games with the Tigers.

Brian Kelly’s turnaround at LSU has been nothing short of impressive since he was hired as the head coach in Baton Rouge just over a year ago.

Inheriting a roster that went 6-7 in 2021, Kelly stunned the college football world with a 10-win season that included an upset win over Alabama that resulted in an SEC West title.

There were low moments, to be sure. A season-opening loss to Florida State in New Orleans was disappointing, as was the two-game losing streak against Texas A&M and Georgia to end the regular season. Still, after a blowout win over Purdue in the Citrus Bowl, things are looking up under Kelly, and he was given a B+ grade by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg in his first season.

2022 record: 10-4 | LSU’s 2021 record: 6-7
Previous job: Notre Dame head coach
Midseason grade: B- | Grade when hired: A-

The view of Kelly has changed several times since his surprise hiring 13 months ago. But for all the talk about him being an odd/bad fit and a constant meme, Kelly reiterated why he’s one of the nation’s top coaches. He led LSU to a surprising SEC West division title, highlighted by a dramatic win against Alabama, the first at Tiger Stadium since 2010. The season wasn’t totally smooth, as LSU stumbled out of the gate against Florida State, had a historically bad home loss to Tennessee and dropped the regular-season finale to a bad Texas A&M squad. But LSU had more bright spots than blotches, as Jayden Daniels became an effective dual-threat quarterback and freshman Harold Perkins Jr. emerged as a defensive star.

What comes next: Kelly came to LSU to win national championships, and the team must get closer to competing at that level in Year 2. The Tigers return a formidable roster, including Daniels, Perkins and receiver Malik Nabers. LSU secured a group of potential difference-makers in the transfer portal, including Texas A&M cornerback Denver Harris. Greater consistency is needed, starting in the opener against FSU in Orlando.

LSU will lose some talent this season, but much of the core will return. Winning 10 games is one thing, and while an impressive feat in Year 1, it also isn’t the ultimate goal for this program.

With that being said, it’s hard not to be pleased with the way Kelly has things trending on the bayou after the rough two seasons to end the [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag] era.

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On3 gives Brian Kelly high marks for first season at LSU

The Tigers’ coach received an A-minus grade for winning nine games and the SEC West in Year 1.

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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