Brian Kelly sought LSU football’s demands, so hold him to Nick Saban standard | Opinion
LSU spent big to hire an established football coach from a program where he experienced success, and the new hire’s arrival brought expectations of brighter days for the Tigers — sooner than later.
The year was 2000, and Nick Saban was preparing for his first season as LSU’s coach. The Tigers had plundered Saban by doubling his Michigan State salary. He joined Bobby Bowden, Steve Spurrier and Phillip Fulmer as coaches earning seven figures.
The first reporter to question Saban at SEC Media Days asked whether he was ready for his new job’s lofty expectations.
“I don’t know where those expectations come from,” Saban said then, trying to tamp down Year 1 demands.
Sorry, but honeymoons end quickly at LSU.
Saban proved ready for the demands. A program that produced three victories in its final season under Gerry DiNardo won eight games in Saban’s debut.
high-priced hire of Brian Kelly.
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Like Saban, Kelly arrived devoid of SEC experience but armed with a proven résumé.
Unlike Saban, Kelly made no attempt to temper LSU’s expectations. He’s here to win the national championship that eluded him at Notre Dame.
“The greatest fans deserve an incredible football team,” Kelly said in some of his first remarks to LSU fans. “We will begin, starting right this minute, to put together the next national championship football team at Louisiana State University.
rival Florida is in the midst of a rebuild and a crossover game against ascending Tennessee will be played at home.
In other words, an avenue exists to eight or more victories without even taking down the SEC West’s current stalwarts.
Those who keep close watch on LSU expect immediate improvement under Kelly. The Advocate/Times-Picayune polled 18 Louisiana media members who cover the program for their season predictions. Each projected the Tigers would win at least seven games. Fourteen voters predicted 8-4.
That’s a nod to LSU’s talent — think Florida’s first-year coach Billy Napier wouldn’t love to possess playmakers such as wide receiver Kayshon Boutte or disruptive defensive linemen such as BJ Ojulari and Ali Gaye? – but also to Kelly’s presence.