LSU's 2025 Recruiting Class is why Brian Kelly left Notre Dame

[Terry Jillery]

They got three composite 5 star guys signed in the 2025 class (including the composite #1 QB & #1 WR & #1 RB prospect in the country)

We all know that ND is allergic to the highest tier of prospects which is why Brian Kelly doesn't coach at ND anymore. When BK said he left ND to LSU because of "aligned vision" with LSUs administrators this is what he meant. The ability to actually level the playing field and sign and compete for the best talent in the country.

Brian Kelly with this elite level of talent is going to be hard to beat. It isn't happening by accident either. Kelly has been revamping his coaching staff with guys that are overachievers on the recruiting trail.

LSU 2025 Football Commits

LSU

247sports.com

Michigan didn’t need it. Coaching > recruiting.

 

[sjb75]

Didn’t LSU just lose a player or recruit on a murder or attempted murder charge? You go BK! He wont even win a conference championship

No. He has been at LSU one season.

 

[stu4don]

Michigan last five years: 18-9-10-11-10...

How do you explain that Chase?

 

[stu4don]

NDs vs. National Championship Michigan and Runner-up Washington (includes their Freshman class up to fifth years.)

ND Mich Wash
2023: #13 18 14
2022: #7 9 89
2021: #9 10 42
2020: #18 11 19
2019:#14 10 16

Chase: "they will probably finish closer to somewhere in the #7-#13 range in 2025 but still nowhere near the level needed to compete with the best teams in the country."

Let's dig in Chase. ND out recruited runner-up Washington every year since 2019 and Michigan 3 of the 5 years prior to this years NC. Neither Michigan nor Washington had a class higher than #9 during that time. Given your metric, they should never have been the teams in the National Championship, in fact their recruiting numbers "are nowhere near the level needed to compete with the nest teams in the country."

Are you willing to admit you are playing with a hickory shafted, persimmon driver, my friend? Last year proved you very very very wrong! Time to update your thinking.

 

[stu4don]

Also given your metric -- why wasn't this year's LSU team in the final four?

LUSND Mich Wash
5 2023: #13 18 14
15 2022: #7 9 89
4 2021: #9 10 42
4 2020: #18 11 19
3 2019:#14 10 16

That is 4 times they were top five, and guess what, they ended up ranked 12th! Not even close.

 

[wawasee]

Chase my balls at it again. Kelly is a lazy recruiter well known. He didn't develop the L$U QB his OC did. Your logic is hilarious. L$U where the mentally challenged go. Maybe you should take your fandom down south. Learn that fake southern drawl like Kelly.

 

[BGI User 756]

If ND had the #1 QB, WR, and RB prospect committed this early in the class it would put them on a whole other trajectory. But they got like 15 four stars committed with a 90.xx average (status quo) with zero traction with any 5 star talent in yet another recruiting cycle.

LSU has the kind of prospects committed that change the entire outlook of a program in 2025


Kelly has a track record of great player development. He's never had this many elite prospects in a single class. If I'm the college football world I'm getting really worried about LSUs 2025 class

So….its not the “where you finish” mantra anymore?

 

[BGI User 756]

70 million for not working?

Where do I sign up?

You live in SoCal. You are already getting paid for not working

 

[BGI User 756]

Brian Kelly was recruiting 13th ranked classes on aggregate and getting top 10 finishes on aggregate during the latter half of his tenure at ND. This is the best indicator of player development when you can coach up lesser ranked classes. His performance ultimately wasn't good enough at Notre Dame (especially on the rec trail) but you couldn't deny the fact that he could run a program and develop the material on the roster

He then went to LSU and developed an elite first round QB and Heisman trophy winner putting to bed this ridiculous argument of how all his QBs regress and that he can't coach quarterbacks

He followed that up with signing the #1 player and QB in the country, along with the #4, and #17 overall prospects (all on offense) in the 2025 class.

Brian Kelly with this kind of firepower is going to be really hard to beat he's never had this much material to work with ever at Notre Dame

So he is winning the SEC this year ?

 

[BGI User 756]

No. He has been at LSU one season.

2 seasons

 

[mirer03]

Still the same guy. He has better talent, but fails to adjust and can't connect with players.

 

[ticat]

Come on folks...give ol' Chaser a break...he just missed the parts on Sesame Street about "One of these things is not like the others," and was never able to take a critical thinking course anywhere...

He is the perfect example of the kind of person that defaults to the simplest, least complex explanation for any event...

GEAUX BK!!! YEAHHHH!!!! He's gonna take his number one recruiting class and his Tigers to another bowl game...maybe even one played after December 27th?

 

[ticat]

I gotta say, that always infuriated me, even being such a devotee and votary of BK. The whole QB thing. It was seemingly just made-up gibberish, that seemingly the development and excellent career of Ian Book would put to bed. Now there's no denying it with Jayden Daniels....

Jayden Daniels - Denbrock vs. TR?

How big an impact on Daniels was it having Denbrock running his offense? Would Daniels have been a Heisman winner with TR as the OC? This had more to do with them than with BK, in my mind....

 

[ticat]

NDs vs. National Championship Michigan and Runner-up Washington (includes their Freshman class up to fifth years.)

ND Mich Wash
2023: #13 18 14
2022: #7 9 89
2021: #9 10 42
2020: #18 11 19
2019:#14 10 16

Chase: "they will probably finish closer to somewhere in the #7-#13 range in 2025 but still nowhere near the level needed to compete with the best teams in the country."

Let's dig in Chase. ND out recruited runner-up Washington every year since 2019 and Michigan 3 of the 5 years prior to this years NC. Neither Michigan nor Washington had a class higher than #9 during that time. Given your metric, they should never have been the teams in the National Championship, in fact their recruiting numbers "are nowhere near the level needed to compete with the nest teams in the country."

Are you willing to admit you are playing with a hickory shafted, persimmon driver, my friend? Last year proved you very very very wrong! Time to update your thinking.

Don't forget...Chaser figured that UDub's playoff result would be the same as ours were in 2018 or 2021...you know, 'cause we recruited to their level (or they, ours).

 

[IrishMike409]

You want to bet on that? I bet Kelly never sniffs a title at LSU. If you lose you leave the board.

The board needs solid posters, even contrarian posters. Let’s not get back into the “you leave the board” stuff.

And as someone who is all ND all in on Freeman…..I think Kelly will be in the mix for a title at some point.

I get if and why you don’t like him, but objectively speaking, he can coach and build a program. He’s gonna have some loaded rosters. We’ll see if he can win 1. I certainly think they’ll have a couple of opportunities.

It’s crazy how much air time Kelly still gets on this board.

 

[chaseball]

Something like 95% of national title winners over the last 25 years were teams/programs that were firmly in the tier-1 of talent & recruiting leading up to their national title victory.

But we're going to take the isolated/outlier example of Michigan--who also happens to have a future hall of famer as a head coach--and hang our national championship aspirations/hopes on their 2023 model?

SMH

 

[BGI User 756]

Don't forget...Chaser figured that UDub's playoff result would be the same as ours were in 2018 or 2021...you know, 'cause we recruited to their level (or they, ours).

Yup. I recall

 

[mbd11]

Don't forget...Chaser figured that UDub's playoff result would be the same as ours were in 2018 or 2021...you know, 'cause we recruited to their level (or they, ours).

That Texas team UW played in the semi-final wasn't nearly as good as the Clemson and Bama national title teams we lost to. The opponent matters.

 

[NDinNJ]

Something like 95% of national title winners over the last 25 years were teams/programs that were firmly in the tier-1 of talent & recruiting leading up to their national title victory.

But we're going to take the isolated/outlier example of Michigan--who also happens to have a future hall of famer as a head coach--and hang our national championship aspirations/hopes on their 2023 model?

SMH

It's funny how you ignore most of the arguments that counter your posts.

If you are so confident in what LSU and BK have going, please place your $$$ where your posts are. My wager stands. 5k says BK doesn't win a national championship as HC at LSU. let me know if you want to proceed. Put up or shut up.
I figure BK has a 2-3 year window to make something happen before LSU moves on from him.

 

[chaseball]

Don't forget...Chaser figured that UDub's playoff result would be the same as ours were in 2018 or 2021...you know, 'cause we recruited to their level (or they, ours).

I don't think this is the W you think it is.

I was expecting the playoff committee to actually put the 4 best teams in the playoff when I made that argument. I thought if Washington somehow lucked their way in (like ND did the two times they were elected) they would be playing a Georgia, OSU, Alabama, Michigan type opponent but we had to wait for that in the NC game. Which then Washington was big underdogs in and predictably got ran over (just like ND did).

You have virtually no shot to win vs tier 1 talent-laden opponents in national title or playoff games over the last 25 years if your roster is not in that first talent tier itself or unless Jim Harbaugh or Dabo Swinney is your headcoach.

There's a huge cliff after the tier 1. ND has to find a way to gain some of their marketshare on the talent-acquisition side of their football operations. Until that happens we're going to be waiting 30+ more years for a national title, talking about Lou Holtz to our great grand children before taking our last breath and passing away.

 

[Golson5]

I don't think this is the W you think it is.

I was expecting the playoff committee to actually put the 4 best teams in the playoff when I made that argument. I thought if Washington somehow lucked their way in (like ND did the two times they were elected) they would be playing a Georgia, OSU, Alabama, Michigan type opponent but we had to wait for that in the NC game. Which then Washington was big underdogs in and predictably got ran over (just like ND did).

You have virtually no shot to win vs tier 1 talent-laden opponents in national title or playoff games over the last 25 years if your roster is not in that first talent tier itself or unless Jim Harbaugh or Dabo Swinney is your headcoach.

There's a huge cliff after the tier 1. ND has to find a way to gain some of their marketshare on the talent-acquisition side of their football operations. Until that happens we're going to be waiting 30+ more years for a national title, talking about Lou Holtz to our great grand children before taking our last breath and passing away.

What if your name is Gene Chizik?

 

[BGI User 756]

I don't think this is the W you think it is.

I was expecting the playoff committee to actually put the 4 best teams in the playoff when I made that argument. I thought if Washington somehow lucked their way in (like ND did the two times they were elected) they would be playing a Georgia, OSU, Alabama, Michigan type opponent but we had to wait for that in the NC game. Which then Washington was big underdogs in and predictably got ran over (just like ND did).

You have virtually no shot to win vs tier 1 talent-laden opponents in national title or playoff games over the last 25 years if your roster is not in that first talent tier itself or unless Jim Harbaugh or Dabo Swinney is your headcoach.

There's a huge cliff after the tier 1. ND has to find a way to gain some of their marketshare on the talent-acquisition side of their football operations. Until that happens we're going to be waiting 30+ more years for a national title, talking about Lou Holtz to our great grand children before taking our last breath and passing away.

Can you hurry and take your last breath?

 

[NDinNJ]

I don't think this is the W you think it is.

I was expecting the playoff committee to actually put the 4 best teams in the playoff when I made that argument. I thought if Washington somehow lucked their way in (like ND did the two times they were elected) they would be playing a Georgia, OSU, Alabama, Michigan type opponent but we had to wait for that in the NC game. Which then Washington was big underdogs in and predictably got ran over (just like ND did).

You have virtually no shot to win vs tier 1 talent-laden opponents in national title or playoff games over the last 25 years if your roster is not in that first talent tier itself or unless Jim Harbaugh or Dabo Swinney is your headcoach.

There's a huge cliff after the tier 1. ND has to find a way to gain some of their marketshare on the talent-acquisition side of their football operations. Until that happens we're going to be waiting 30+ more years for a national title, talking about Lou Holtz to our great grand children before taking our last breath and passing away.

What are you talking about? You are really dumb. It's been pointed out numerous times in this thread that Michigan's recruiting classes were far from "tier 1". In fact, ND has had better recruiting classes than Michigan over the past 5 years.

Please stop talking out of your a$$ because it makes you look pathetic.

Michigan recruiting classes

2019: #8
2020: #10
2021: #13
2022: #9
2023: #17
2024: #16

 

[sjb75]

Jayden Daniels - Denbrock vs. TR?

How big an impact on Daniels was it having Denbrock running his offense? Would Daniels have been a Heisman winner with TR as the OC? This had more to do with them than with BK, in my mind....

Brian Kelly navigates the LSU offense, just like he did at Notre Dame.

Tommy Rees and Mike Denbrock simply followed what Brian Kelly wanted.

 

[Golson5]

Brian Kelly navigates the LSU offense, just like he did at Notre Dame.

Tommy Rees and Mike Denbrock simply followed what Brian Kelly wanted.

Sure

 

[NDinNJ]

Brian Kelly navigates the LSU offense, just like he did at Notre Dame.

Tommy Rees and Mike Denbrock simply followed what Brian Kelly wanted.

I didn't realize you worked for Brian Kelly in some capacity. How else would you have this insider information?

 

[ticat]

Brian Kelly navigates the LSU offense, just like he did at Notre Dame.

Tommy Rees and Mike Denbrock simply followed what Brian Kelly wanted.

Maybe, but it is doubtful that there was much hands-on coaching of Daniels by Kelly...that was Denbock and Sloan

 

[sjb75]

Maybe, but it is doubtful that there was much hands-on coaching of Daniels by Kelly...that was Denbock and Sloan

Jayden Daniels was average at best until he arrived at LSU. Brian Kelly hired Mike Denbrock at LSU, and hired Joe Sloan at LSU, and Sloan is now the OC at LSU. Credit goes to all three.

End of the day, it's Brian Kelly's offense at LSU, whether it was Denbrock or now Sloan calling the plays..

 

[NDinNJ]

Jayden Daniels was average at best until he arrived at LSU. Brian Kelly hired Mike Denbrock at LSU, and hired Joe Sloan at LSU, and Sloan is now the OC at LSU. Credit goes to all three.

End of the day, it's Brian Kelly's offense at LSU, whether it was Denbrock or now Sloan calling the plays..

He was far from just average, Anyone who knows football could see he was very talented. If the LSU coaching staff didn't see the talent, they would have never entertained him transferring in. Clueless.

 

[chaseball]

What if your name is Gene Chizik?

I'm going off of recollection, but you are right, Auburn/Gene Chizik won the BCS national title game back in 2010. There were some unique circumstances to consider, like having a generational QB at the helm, but Auburn was a tier 2-3 (like present ND) talent team, and they won a national title.

But my broader point still stands: unless ND is blessed with an extraordinary amount of good luck, the only way they will win a national title again is by recruiting and developing talent at least as well as any other team in the country can. There's no way around it. And clearly, by any metric, the ND football program has not, and is not, getting this critical job done.

 

[ticat]

Jayden Daniels was average at best until he arrived at LSU. Brian Kelly hired Mike Denbrock at LSU, and hired Joe Sloan at LSU, and Sloan is now the OC at LSU. Credit goes to all three.

End of the day, it's Brian Kelly's offense at LSU, whether it was Denbrock or now Sloan calling the plays..

Not about who calls the plays with QB coaching...who manages how the player does what he does...BK is the prototypical CEO-type coach, so I guess he gets credit for taking Daniels, but Denbrock and Sloan get the credit for making him the Heisman winner...

And don't forget, his first year at ASU gave some indication of how good he could be...

 

[stu4don]

You are right Chase -- it takes a combination of good recruiting, player development (coaching) and game planning & in-game coaching.And of course, the component that now makes recruiting really less important -- the transfer portal (you should figure that in too) -- 5*s leave, 3*s who play above their rankings transfer in. The old model of recruiting rankings just won't hold up (see Washington.)

But to stick with the old system -- OSU has been in the recruiting top five for the past four years, yet they haven't won a natty since Urban and have appeared in the same amount of final fours as the team you say has woefully lost the recruiting battle (ND.)

Look -- Notre Dame is never going to be able to get the kind of players who want a semi-pro college experience (no real classes, no grades needed to get in, etc.) -- that is just who we are -- no amount of posting is going to change that.

That said, I see a head coach who gets that. A head coach who is bringing in players who you would have passed on -- Estime, Alt, Morrison, Bertrand, Cross, Faison, Watts (Bronco N winner!), -- all three or low four stars (yes, some were Kelly recruits and I believe MF is improving on what Kelly did) who don't fit your metric of top 1-3 recruiting class. Yet, all of them have proved as good (or better) than your five star Bama guys.

We are who we are, Chase. I believe we can do what Michigan and Wash just did.

 

[sjb75]

You are right Chase -- it takes a combination of good recruiting, player development (coaching) and game planning & in-game coaching.And of course, the component that now makes recruiting really less important -- the transfer portal (you should figure that in too) -- 5*s leave, 3*s who play above their rankings transfer in. The old model of recruiting rankings just won't hold up (see Washington.)

But to stick with the old system -- OSU has been in the recruiting top five for the past four years, yet they haven't won a natty since Urban and have appeared in the same amount of final fours as the team you say has woefully lost the recruiting battle (ND.)

Look -- Notre Dame is never going to be able to get the kind of players who want a semi-pro college experience (no real classes, no grades needed to get in, etc.) -- that is just who we are -- no amount of posting is going to change that.

That said, I see a head coach who gets that. A head coach who is bringing in players who you would have passed on -- Estime, Alt, Morrison, Bertrand, Cross, Faison, Watts (Bronco N winner!), -- all three or low four stars (yes, some were Kelly recruits and I believe MF is improving on what Kelly did) who don't fit your metric of top 1-3 recruiting class. Yet, all of them have proved as good (or better) than your five star Bama guys.

We are who we are, Chase. I believe we can do what Michigan and Wash just did.

Stopped reading after 4 words.

 

[savvyandsassier]

Jayden Daniels - Denbrock vs. TR?

How big an impact on Daniels was it having Denbrock running his offense? Would Daniels have been a Heisman winner with TR as the OC? This had more to do with them than with BK, in my mind....

Didn't Denbrock coach at ND? Didn't he coach Deshone Kizer? But that was BK's fault. Even though Kizer was awesome and did very well for himself at ND.

Anyway, the mental gymnastics you guys perform to minimize and belittle BK.... it's too much!

 

[ticat]

Didn't Denbrock coach at ND? Didn't he coach Deshone Kizer? But that was BK's fault. Even though Kizer was awesome and did very well for himself at ND.

Anyway, the mental gymnastics you guys perform to minimize and belittle BK.... it's too much!

Not belittling BK...all the respect in the world for him...but he's a head coach, and the position coaches are the ones that would have had the most impact on Daniels...and hey, BK is the guy that went out and got him out of ASU.

And as I recall, Kizer had a pretty good year...what was Kelly's fault?

 

[sjb75]

Not belittling BK...all the respect in the world for him...but he's a head coach, and the position coaches are the ones that would have had the most impact on Daniels...and hey, BK is the guy that went out and got him out of ASU.

And as I recall, Kizer had a pretty good year...what was Kelly's fault?

Brian Kelly's no bullshit style of coaching his players, the culture he sets, the demands he places on them, helped Jayden Daniels a great deal at LSU. Brian Kelly, OC Mike Denbrock, and QB Coach Joe Sloan all deserve credit for Jayden Daniels.

 

[tbonesays]

Not about who calls the plays with QB coaching...who manages how the player does what he does...BK is the prototypical CEO-type coach, so I guess he gets credit for taking Daniels, but Denbrock and Sloan get the credit for making him the Heisman winner...

And don't forget, his first year at ASU gave some indication of how good he could be...

That ASU class was stacked. They knew how to recruit players for the portal.

 

[IrishExpert2288]

Leave it to the name Brian Kelly to bring out the childishness. Kelly left ND almost 2.5 years ago.

He left the place way better than he found it and also hired the current ND Head Coach to his staff. Maybe you Kelly haters can try to get Taylor Swft to write a song about him to make you feel better?

 

[Chitown11]

Brian Kelly navigates the LSU offense, just like he did at Notre Dame.

Tommy Rees and Mike Denbrock simply followed what Brian Kelly wanted.

Oh yeah, the "offensive guru".

 

[Chitown11]

Leave it to the name Brian Kelly to bring out the childishness. Kelly left ND almost 2.5 years ago.

He left the place way better than he found it and also hired the current ND Head Coach to his staff. Maybe you Kelly haters can try to get Taylor Swft to write a song about him to make you feel better?

And never won a big game or NC. The guy is a D-Bag, always was and always will be.