Although Brian Kelly’s first season at LSU was an overwhelming success, his second year at the helm got off to a less-than-ideal start with losses to Florida State and Ole Miss. There is still a lot of ball left to be played. Things can change and college football is chaos.
However, at 3-2, the Tigers’ odd of winning the SEC West, playing for a conference title and receiving an invite to the College Football Playoff aren’t high. Two losses is dissapointing.
The season is not lost, but there is an uphill battle to fight.
Following Saturday’s game in Oxford, Mississippi, Brian Kelly used inexperience as an excuse. He said that his players are his players, and that “there’s nobody else walking through the door.”
His comments were, essentially, an indirect way of putting the blame entirely on his team. Kelly never once said that it is his job to get the inexperienced players up to date or anything of that nature.
It was all about the guys on the field and how they didn’t play well enough. Plain and simple. Loud and clear.
For Kelly to point fingers at his players without recognizing the four fingers pointing back at him could not have been inspiring for the team. Former LSU punter Zach Von Rosenberg certainly did not appreciate what his alma mater’s new head coach had to say, and worries that it will turn recruits off from playing in Baton Rouge.
One thing I know for sure. Blaming players doesn’t get you more recruits. Not a good look.
— Zach Von Rosenberg in a since-deleted post on X, formerly known as Twitter
There was a real opportunity for Kelly to step up and take responsibility for the slow start. Instead, he implied that his players simply have not played well.
It’s their fault. It’s not his fault that they are inexperienced.
If the comments rubbed Von Rosenberg the wrong way, there is no telling how it felt for the guys in the locker room. Or like Von Rosenberg said, how does that message translate to recruits?! Not great.