16-in-16 2024: LSU Tigers
The Tigers wasted a golden opportunity in 2023 with a Heisman-winning QB. Can they break through in 2024 on the back of Garrett Nussmeier?
By: Waco Kid
For a refresher on our ratings system, check out our 16-in-16 ratings guide here.
LSU is coming off a typical season. They were a top-tier team with a few losses in difficult rivalry games. A ten-win season is nothing to be ashamed of, especially when the three games that went another way were all to top ten teams, two of whom made the College Football Playoff. At the time of the losses Florida State was ranked #6, Ole Miss was ranked 9th, and Alabama stood at #5. That by no means qualifies as a bad season, and take into consideration that the Tigers won ten other games while producing a Heisman winner, and it seems Brian Kelly and his southern drawl have the gold and purple right back into the conversation for perennial contention.
The Bayou Bengals do have some big shoes to fill this year with the loss of Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers to the NFL. They were a major part of the offensive production in 2023 and will leave some glaring holes in the passing game. But, luckily, QB Garrett Nussmeier got game-tested in the ReliaQuest Bowl and was able to defeat a solid Wisconsin team and put up some incredible numbers. He went into the bowl without having started a game and threw for 395 yards and three touchdowns. He seemed like a seasoned veteran and will roll into 2024 with the confidence that any quarterback needs, especially one who plays in the SEC and Death Valley. Brian Kelly did wonders at Notre Dame and some, including myself, were unsure of how that would translate to a place where football is king, but thus far he has proven that he knows how to coach in the southeast.
State of the Program: 9/12 biscuits. Dark horse to win the conference; Pillsbury Golden Flaky layers. Very good, and with a few more layers would be elite.
If you can make it through the previous SEC West with only three losses on the season, you are doing something right. For LSU fans these are just regular ol’ CFA biscuits on a morning when you have 15 minutes extra to stop in and grab a bite on the way to work. But the potential is there for much more.
LSU has always been a powerhouse that should cause hesitation for teams when seeing them on the schedule. They are back in that state and do not seem to be going anywhere under the Brian Kelly regime. The Tigers have been recruiting at a high level and competing at an even higher one. Some teams come into the season with a top ten recruiting class and end outside of the top 25, but somehow year in and year out the Bayou Bengals continue to put together a fearsome team that can compete with almost anyone in the nation. This year is no different, they come in with the ninth-rated recruiting class but don’t really need it on the offensive or defensive side. Sure, great for the future but the players that are returning bring enough firepower to make them explosive on both sides of the ball in 2024.
Garrett Nussmeier leads these returners on offense. He came alive in the season closer last year and will look to build on that momentum going into 2024. Nussmeier was able to embarrass the Wisconsin pass defense in just his first game as a starter. There was another guy who donned the purple and gold that was able to do that early on before finding his identity and he ended up leading the team to a national championship and one of the most impressive offensive seasons the SEC has ever seen. Yes, I am comparing him to Joe Burrow because it feels like that is what we may be looking at down in Baton Rouge. Nussmeier, like Burrow, has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal. Between wide receivers Kyren Lacy, CJ Daniels, and Aaron Anderson, he can spread the ball out across the field using different sizes, routes, and options that only rival the embarrassment of weapons that Burrow enjoyed.
On the defensive side, of course, how could we not talk about Harold Perkins Jr. Dude is a straight stud and has almost 150 tackles in two years (after having a down 2023), close to 30 TFLs, nearly 15 sacks, two picks, and seven forced fumbles. The guy has a knack for not only finding the ball but getting it out of the opposition’s hands. He will anchor a dirty defensive unit along with Greg Penn as his linebacker counterpart and a couple of returning defensive ends. Getting into the end zone will not be easy for opposing offenses and don’t be surprised if Penn or Perkins land on the Butkus Award finalist list. The main concern for the Tigers will be the secondary. They allowed 264.2 yards per game passing which is atrocious for a team whose identity is in suffocating, hard-nosed defense. They do return Major Burns who will be key in defending against the air attack but other than that they are still highly unproven.
You may not like him, but Brian Kelly is getting the job done in Baton Rouge. Could he hold off on the southern accents, dancing to Garth Brooks, and everything else? Yes, but at the end of the day he gets paid to win football games. And he is winning. As Al Davis said it best, “Just win baby, win.”
What went right in 2023?
Ten wins is what went right. The play of Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers also was a high point of the season. The offense was on fire and the defense was good enough most of the time but cratered in big games. And they found a replacement for a top quarterback without even really having to try. Wins over all but two SEC teams is a good way to end the season. Ole Miss and Alabama are competing at a high level and will probably be a game that can go either way in the years to come but they took care of business when they should and if that’s where the bar is set, LSU met it. Yet, we all know that LSU fans believe they should have done more with their historically good offense.
What went wrong in 2023?
No one feels worse than an LSU player or fan losing to Alabama. Tack on a loss to Ole Miss and FSU and you are looking at one hostile environment for visitors in Death Valley this season. The Tigers will be out for blood. Kelly is used to winning the games he should but in the SEC he needs to learn how to coach to win the games he shouldn’t, as well as those toss-up games.
What the Tigers need in 2024
The Tigers need to win a conference title or at least be in the conversation for the new 12-team CFP. If they are far removed from being considered, there may need to be some rethinking in the Bayou. LSU should be a contender every year if 12 teams are allowed in. That is the expectation not just in Baton Rouge but outside of Louisiana as well.
How they can earn some extra biscuits
Threaten for the SEC title or win it and at the very least, be in the conversation for the College Football Playoff. It’s time for the Tigers to solidify themselves back in the elite level of college football.
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