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Brian Kelly has become a lightning rod in college football

BK impresses with his first class, but is he a lightning rod for CFB media?

When it comes to reviewing the 2022 hauls, the reviews have been all over the map. Some would call LSU big winners on the trail this year after it was all said and done on Wednesday. Others will lump them in with first-year head coaches and call them the losers of the cycle.

Whether you agree or not, Cooper Petagna of 247Sports was impressed with the new man on the Bayou.

Calling Brian Kelly a lightning rod for college football pundits is certainly one way of looking at it. This isn’t some new phenomenon in Death Valley. It seems as though whoever the head coach is over the last couple of decades, the spotlight is on the head coach. From Les Miles to Ed Orgeron to Brian Kelly, they have all taken turns.

Brian Kelly’s short tenure in Baton Rouge has been nothing short of entertaining since arriving on campus in Louisiana’s state capital. Highlighted by fake accents and viral dance moves, Kelly has become somewhat of a lightning rod for the national media and college football pundits. Take all that away and zoom in on what matters, there’s a lot to like about what Kelly and his staff have accomplished in Baton Rouge in a short amount of time.

Sure the hip thing to do is make fun of Kelly for that fake accent attempt during the basketball game when he was introduced. Or stating people from Boston don’t have accents during halftime of the Texas Bowl. Or his cringe-worthy dance moves with quarterback Walker Howard and former target Danny Lewis Jr. It seems everyone is piling on the former Notre Dame head coach, it comes with the territory of leading the Bayou Bengals.

What you can’t deny is that what Brian Kelly is doing on the recruiting trails and the transfer portal seems to be working. His overall class ranked at No. 6 according to 247Sports. On3 gave them the No. 12 recruiting class. He loaded up this offseason in the short time he has been on the job.

Finishing with a bang on Wednesday, the Tigers wrapped up the No. 5 prospect in the country according to the Top247, beating out a couple of SEC foes for one of the nation’s best in linebacker Harold Perkins. In addition to Perkins, LSU is currently in command of the nation’s third best transfer portal class according to 247Sports.

All jokes aside, Kelly had a plan and executed it. Did they win every recruiting battle? No. Did they lock down the state? Also no. But given time to get his system in place and produce on the field, that should come soon. If Kelly gets LSU to eight or nine wins in 2022, it’s a win for the team. Especially considering they just finished the last two years with 11 wins combined.

Early position outlook: How the LSU QBs break down

This is the position battle to watch in 2022

The quarterback battle for the 2022 season is going to be an interesting one. Joe Sloan joins the staff as the new quarterbacks’ coach after a long tenure as the offensive coordinator and a variety of other roles with the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

Sloan knows the recruiting landscape in the state of Louisiana and is now tasked with leading the quarterbacks. The Tigers head into next season with three scholarship quarterbacks with Myles Brennan, Garrett Nussmeier, and incoming freshman Walker Howard.

Last season it was Brennan, Nussmeier, and Max Johnson. You can essentially trade Johnson for Howard as the former transferred to Texas A&M, and the latter signed with LSU in the 2022 recruiting class.

Based on Mike Denbrock’s offense over the last four seasons in Cincinnati, it appears that he likes to use mobile quarterbacks. They utilized Desmond Ridder in the passing game and the running game. He finished his Bearcats’ career with 10,239 yards passing and another 2,180 yards rushing. Ridder accounted for 37 touchdowns this year, 30 through the air, six on the ground, and even caught one.

We start with the senior

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Analyzing what Myles Brennan’s return means for LSU

Myles Brennan’s announcement was huge, but what does it mean for LSU?

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Just last week, LSU seemed to be in a tough spot at the quarterback position. Max Johnson had announced his intention to transfer, a few weeks after Myles Brennan did the same.

On Thursday, things changed. Brennan withdrew his name from the transfer portal, announcing he’d be returning to LSU in a move that makes sense for both sides.

Brennan has been around a long time. He made his debut with the Tigers in 2017. At this point, that feels like an eternity ago.

Since then, LSU has won a national championship and experienced their worst seasons of the century. They’ve seen the school president change, a new athletic director come in, as well as a new head football coach. Brennan has seen it all.

2022 will be Brennan’s sixth year suiting up for LSU and to say the least, it’s been a rocky road for him.

He supposedly pushed Danny Etling in the QB battle in 2017, seeing action against Troy. However, he wasn’t good enough to stop Ed Orgeron from hitting the transfer portal and grabbing Joe Burrow. That obviously worked out well.

2020 was supposed to be Myles Brennan’s year but it was a year where nothing went right for LSU. Brennan played just three games before missing the rest of the year with an injury. That’s the last time anyone has seen him in-game action.

In 2020, Brennan posted the third-best passing grade in the SEC according to PFF. He only trailed Mac Jones and Kyle Trask. Brennan had some bad moments in the loss to Mississippi State, but overall, he looked good. Keep in mind, these were his first-ever starts despite his seniority.

Brennan entered 2021 in a battle for QB1 with Max Johnson, but Brennan got hurt in a fishing accident and never saw the field. For a moment, it looked like his career at LSU would be over.

When Brennan entered the transfer portal, it wasn’t much of a surprise. It made sense. Maybe, it just wasn’t going to work at LSU. Suddenly, when Johnson followed him to the transfer portal, it opened the door for Brennan’s return.

LSU Athletics/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Network

Johnson’s departure left freshman Garrett Nussmeier as the most experienced QB on the roster, which isn’t saying much. Nussmeier is talented but raw.

LSU will be welcoming five-star QB recruit, Walker Howard, to campus in 2022, but that’s never a sure thing. Even if it were, Howard is just a freshman.

LSU needed someone like Brennan. The veteran QB will now be back in 2022, ready for his moment. This has a chance to be the best offensive line LSU has had in a couple of years as well as the most experienced receiver group since that 2019 team. This could hinge on the status of Kayshon Boutte.

Brennan will be comfortable with these guys. In 2020, despite Brennan looking good, it was clear he was part of an offensive unit that wasn’t gelling together.

This is a time where most quarterbacks with Brennan’s talent don’t hang around one place for that long. Brennan has stuck with LSU longer than most. While there’s no shame in one transferring to better their position, Brennan should be commended for sticking around.

He’s a guy that loves LSU and has been committed to this team for over half a decade. He’s earned his moment in the purple and gold.

Brennan is a solid player. He won’t be in the Heisman conversation, but he provides a steady hand for a program that really needs it. The return of Brennan takes some of the pressure off guys like Nussmeier and Howard.

Having a veteran under center will also allow whoever is calling plays next year more flexibility with what they can install. Someone with Brennan’s experience will also be able to help the offense out in the classroom.

The talent is there and the experience is there. If Brennan stays healthy, this is his job to lose. One has to think Brennan wouldn’t have come back if he didn’t think he had more than a decent shot at the starting job in 2022.

For now, this is Myles Brennan’s team, and 2022 will once again allow him the chance to deliver the moment the fans have been waiting for.

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Myles Brennan announces he will return to LSU for his final season

The senior quarterback says “I’m not leaving” on Twitter

With the LSU Tigers looking at quarterback options for the Texas Bowl and beyond, the team received some good news on Thursday.

Senior quarterback Myles Brennan announced on his Twitter account that he will return to the Tigers and remove his name from the transfer portal. Brennan announced his intentions to transfer from LSU on Nov. 1 but just six weeks later that decision has changed.

Brennan missed the entire 2021 regular season after needing surgery on his non-throwing arm after an injury prior to the opening of fall camp. It remains to be seen if he could potentially play in the bowl game. Previously Ed Orgeron stated that he wouldn’t be available this year prior to his announcement of entering the transfer portal.

Interim head coach Brad Davis stated that they were looking at an NCAA waiver to allow Garrett Nussmeier to play in the bowl game and keep his redshirt status. If Brennan is available for the Texas Bowl, the waiver likely wouldn’t be needed. This will be a situation that LSU Wire will continue to monitor.

In 2022, Brennan will be entering his sixth season with the Tigers. In 2018 he appeared in just one game as the backup for starting quarterback Joe Burrow. The Mississippi native would start three games last year before an injury ended his campaign. With the extra year of eligibility, Brennan can return for a sixth season with LSU.

Brennan will lead the quarterback room that has redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier and incoming freshman Walker Howard. During his career with the Tigers, he has thrown for 1,712 yards (1,112 in 2020), 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions.

Having the experienced gunslinger return helps with the depth at quarterback. Prior to his announcement, the Tigers were set to only have two scholarship players at the position with zero combined starts between them.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PatrickConnCFB

Position breakdown for LSU’s 2022 recruiting class ahead of early signing period

Plenty of work to be done.

The LSU Tigers currently have 11 commitments ahead of the early signing period that begins on Wednesday. Currently, they are without a commitment at wide receiver, running back, safety, and edge.

Brian Kelly has plenty of work to be done over the next several days and into February. As they work to fill this class with incoming freshmen or look to add players from the transfer portal.

Not to mention continuing to fill out his coaching staff. So far that has been a slow process with just three coaches being named to his 2022 staff. Before we get into more possibilities on the coaching staff, we look at each position group heading into the signing period.

Brian Kelly and the Louisiana recruits among the top storylines in the Early Signing Period

How many of the top Louisiana prospects will sign with LSU?

Based on the new overall rankings from 247Sports which factors in transfers, the LSU Tigers currently sit as the No. 25 class in 2022. They were listed as a top-five team prior to the announcement that Ed Orgeron wouldn’t be retained beyond the 2021 season.

There is a new regime in town and they have plenty of work to do in order to get this class rolling in the right direction. If the Tigers hope to have a bounce-back season in 2022, they need to find some quality recruits to buy into what the former Notre Dame head coach is selling.

According to The Athletic (subscription required), Brian Kelly and LSU are among the top 10 storylines to watch on early signing day.

Five-star quarterback and LSU commit Walker Howard of Lafayette (La.) St. Thomas More took a visit to Notre Dame after the Tigers moved on from coach Ed Orgeron. There seemed to be a chance that Brian Kelly, then the head coach of the Irish, was going to flip the prized QB recruit.

Then Kelly took the LSU job. Howard is staying put. It’s always good to start a new job with a five-star, in-state quarterback already in the fold.

But what about the rest of the state of Louisiana?

LSU is currently recruiting Mathews, Preston, four-star athlete Kendrick Law of Shreveport Captain Shreve and four-star defensive lineman Quency Wiggins of Baton Rouge (La.) Madison Prep Academy. All four are top-100 players who have yet to issue a commitment.

Kelly presumably took the job because he wanted to build a national title-caliber roster. That starts with Louisana. Can he get off to the right start by landing these four?

The state of Louisiana is a recruiting hotbed as plenty of talent from the state can be seen across the college football landscape. More often than not, the top guys stay home and play for the Purple and Gold. A look at the top 10 guys and where they could be headed as ESP approaches.

Should LSU take a look at transfer quarterback Bo Nix?

It might be worth kicking the tires on.

There is a new name in the transfer portal and one that LSU fans are familiar with, Auburn’s Bo Nix. He announced on Instagram that he would put his name in the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. He recently graduated from Auburn and is now looking for his next opportunity.

His stats aren’t eye-popping, to say the least, but he was having his best season from a completion percentage and yards per attempt standpoint. Nix leaves Auburn as a three-year starter. The former five-star quarterback could be valuable to a team in need of a veteran quarterback. Would he stay in the SEC?

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CXaFg-OAdGr/

The idea of Nix to LSU isn’t one that will excite many Tiger fans but he could have an impact on the team. Currently, the Bayou Bengals are projected to have two quarterbacks on scholarship in 2022. Neither has started a single game at the collegiate level. Freshman Garret Nussmeier played most of the Arkansas game but Max Johnson was the starter for that game. The other quarterback coming in will be freshman Walker Howard. They don’t have any experience at the position.

With Johnson in the portal as well, the Tigers could use another arm or two. Myles Brennan could be an option but he will be sought after. This year against LSU, Nix led Auburn to victory in Death Valley for the first time in 20 years. He would be a dual-threat that could really impact the offense.

It is unclear if new head coach Brian Kelly would have interest in the former Auburn quarterback but given the lack of arms in the quarterback room, they might need to take a look.

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Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Are you for or against Bo Nix to LSU? Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PatrickConnCFB and continue the conversation. You can also leave your comments below.

Watch: Brian Kelly’s latest cringe-worthy video

Cringeworthy.

Brian Kelly wasted no time turning into an internet sensation after taking the LSU job. Just two days after agreeing to terms with Louisiana State University his accent had already changed by the time he addressed fans at a home basketball game.

It has nothing to do with his voice but Brian Kelly is again making plenty cringe with his latest viral sensation.

Walker Howard, one of the nation’s top quarterbacks in the 2022 recruiting class and a player Notre Dame pursued, reaffirmed his commitment to LSU Sunday night ahead of the early signing period. He posted the video on Twitter with him and Brian Kelly and all I can say is make sure you watch it with your sound turned up.

Got my coach! 🐯🐯 @CoachBrianKelly pic.twitter.com/j0nurt5sMa

— Walker Howard (@Walker_Howard4) December 13, 2021

Perhaps the worst thing about all of this is that I’ll never be able to hear Garth Brooks’s “Callin’ Baton Rouge” the same ever again after all of this and that stings because that song kicks.

Meanwhile Brian Kelly’s rivalry with being normal continues.

See It – Brian Kelly arrives in Baton Rouge

Where Walker Howard ranks among the 2022 quarterbacks

Where does Walker Howard rank among 2022 quarterbacks?

On Wednesday it is expected that Walker Howard will sign his NLI to join the LSU Tigers. He has been enthusiastic about the hire of Brian Kelly, at one point Howard had Notre Dame as the backup plan. That was provided he didn’t like the LSU hire at least. Instead, the Tigers hired Kelly from Notre Dame, which essentially locked him in.

The hire of Kelly wasn’t for Howard, that would be extremely shortsighted. Instead, it just worked in the Tigers favor. Howard could be walking into a heated quarterback battle this spring and into next fall. Max Johnson was the latest to enter the transfer portal leaving Garrett Nussmeier as the lone scholarship quarterback on the roster.

There is still the opportunity that the new regime could add a quarterback or two from the transfer portal. Unless they find someone with significant playing experience, Howard could very well walk away with the starting job in 2022.

A look at how recruiting sites view Howard:

247Sports: No. 6

Stars	Four
National	No. 77
Position	No. 6
State	No. 2

ESPN: No. 1

Stars	Four
National	No. 27
Position	No. 1
State	No. 3

Rivals: No. 2

Stars	Five
National	No. 26
Position	No. 2
State	No. 2

On3: No. 7

Stars	Four
National	No. 69
Position	No. 7
State	No. 4

Consensus: No. 5

Stars	Four
National	No. 39
Position	No. 6
State	No. 2

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A look at transfer quarterbacks for LSU following Max Johnson’s exit

Perhaps LSU will need to target a quarterback in the transfer portal.

In spring it appeared that the LSU Tigers had a loaded quarterback room heading into the 2021 college football season.

Myles Brennan (transfer portal: Nov. 3)
Max Johnson (transfer portal: Dec. 7)
TJ Finley (transfer portal: May 6)
Garrett Nussmeier
Matt O’Dowd (walk-on)
Tavion Faulk (walk-on)

As the Tigers get closer to the bowl game, Nussmeier joins O’Dowd and Faulk as the only quarterbacks on the roster. No decision has been made on which quarterback will get the nod for the game against Kansas State in the Texas Bowl. It would make sense to name Nussmeier the starter if he indeed wants to burn his redshirt. From now until the game, he could get all the snaps at quarterback to help prepare him for next season. Not to mention more in-game reps.

It makes the quarterback competition heading into next season even more interesting. Five-star quarterback Walker Howard is fully expected to keep his commitment and sign with the LSU Tigers. His fallback option was Notre Dame based on the hire but bringing in Brian Kelly all but solidified his decision. Even with Walker and Nussmeier here next season, the team needs to address the position in the transfer portal.