The first round of the College Football Playoff came and went. LSU was not there.
A three-game losing streak knocked LSU out of the picture in November, extending LSU’s playoff drought. LSU expects to contend every year. Head coach Brian Kelly knows that and doesn’t hesitate to discuss it.
2019 is starting to feel like a long time ago. That trophy is still shiny, but it’s a little dusty.
LSU is undoubtedly in a better position than it was when Kelly took over. Kelly gave LSU a 10-win floor upon arriving, but progress has hit a wall. Going from six wins to 10 wins is easier than going from 10 wins to contending for a national title.
To reach that next step, a lot of things have to come together at just the right time. There’s a path for Kelly to make that happen at LSU.
Today, we’ll look at what LSU needs to do to get back in the national picture in 2025.
1. Garrett Nussmeier takes a leap
Earlier this month, starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier announced his intention to return to LSU for a fifth season. Nussmeier could have garnered NFL interest in the draft but has a chance to be one of the best QBs in the country next year.
If LSU wants to contend for a national title, Nussmeier needs to play lights out.
Fifth-year quarterbacks making a massive leap isn’t new to LSU. Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels both did it on their way to winning a Heisman Trophy. Those are unfair expectations to place on No. 13, but he has the talent.
Nussmeier finished the 2024 regular season with a 79.2 QBR, good for fourth in the SEC. He played his best football in LSU’s final two games, giving the Tigers plenty of hope heading into 2025.
2. Transfers must pan out
Brian Kelly said LSU would be aggressive in the transfer portal, and the Tigers have backed it up so far. LSU landed several of the portal’s top players. And they aren’t done yet.
Getting talent in the building is the first step. Now, the additions must pan out. LSU can’t afford for several transfers to bust when they’re being counted on to be significant contributors.
That was a key reason for LSU’s defensive struggles in 2023. In 2024, LSU didn’t land enough contributing transfers to even gauge this.
At wide receiver, LSU needs the duo of Barion Brown and Nic Anderson to live up to the hype. Both players rank in the top 12 on ESPN’s transfer portal rankings. The emergence of Brown and Anderson will put LSU’s receiver room where it needs to be.
On defense, LSU needs its additions at defensive end to be worth every penny.
3. Win the opener vs. Clemson
LSU is 0-3 in season openers under Brian Kelly. The Tigers are 0-5, dating back to the final two years of Ed Orgeron.
The opening losses don’t kill LSU’s playoff hopes, but it prevents LSU from playing with any margin of error the rest of the year.
Playing in a conference as tough as the SEC, it can be nice to have a mulligan. When LSU starts 0-1, it puts pressure on the Tigers to roll through a tough conference schedule. LSU wasn’t talented enough to do that in 2023 and 2024.
LSU will have another tough test in 2025, going on the road to face a good Clemson team. If LSU can find a way to win, it erases the demons of previous season openers and adds a resume-building win to its cap in week one.
4. Young offensive line lives up to the hype
LSU is hoping to add veteran offensive linemen in the transfer portal and has already signed one, but the Tigers will need young offensive linemen to perform in 2025.
LSU is losing four starters from its veteran 2024 line, including first-round left tackle Will Campbell.
Several players will be thrust into major roles for the first time in their careers. We saw that happen to Paul Mubenga at guard when Garrett Dellinger went down with an injury in October. The results were mixed, with Mubenga having his fair share of struggles.
The same could be said for Tyree Adams, who saw limited action in October, and DJ Chester, the redshirt freshman who held down the center spot all year.
One big name we didn’t see much of this fall was Weston Davis. The five-star tackle will be a sophomore in 2025 with a chance to earn a starting job.
If Davis is a hit, then LSU has its next star at offensive tackle.
The line is a question mark entering 2025, but a Davis breakout can go a long way toward easing the concerns.
5. Blake Baker’s system takes full effect
Blake Baker was in his first year as LSU’s defensive coordinator in 2024, and the results were immediate.
In 2023, LSU ranked 81st in DF+, a combination of ESPN’s SP+ rankings and Brian Fremeau’s FEI ratings.
Currently, LSU sits 31st in the same metric. That was a massive leap for one year, and it was without a huge talent upgrade. Baker was operating with a patchwork defense at times that included freshman defensive tackles, inexperienced corners, and inconsistent safeties.
LSU lost DT Jacobian Guillory and LB Harold Perkins to season-ending injuries in September, too.
Now, the personnel will have a second year in Baker’s scheme along with some talent upgrades.
Young players like LB Whit Weeks, DT Ahmad Breaux, and DT Dominick McKinley are expected to make another jump.
With Baker leading the way, LSU has the talent to be a top-five defense in the SEC.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: How LSU football gets back to the playoff in 2025
