2022 LSU Gumbo - Book - Page 50
Photos by Georgia Jones & Savanna Orgeron
LSU finally announced the hiring of its next head
football coach on Nov. 30 after months of searching for Ed
Orgeron’s successor. Former Notre Dame Head Coach Brian
Kelly was named the new leader of the Tigers as he put
pen to paper on a 10-year/$95 million base contract. Kelly,
who is originally from Massachusetts, has a record of 14561 as an FBS coach during his time at Central Michigan,
Cincinnati and Notre Dame. He joins LSU from Notre
Dame, where he led the Fighting Irish to an 11-1 overall
record and a No. 6 ranking during the 2021 regular season.
According to Notre Dame, Kelly has more seasons with
10-plus wins than any head coach in the university’s storied
history. He spent 12 seasons in South Bend, which included
a national championship appearance, along with two trips
to the College Football Playoff.
Kelly touched down in Baton Rouge shortly after the
announcement, while LSU invited fans to greet him at
the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport. He was met upon
touch down by not only fans, but members of the Tiger
Band, Golden Girls and the Color Guard too.
Following this, he was guided through rounds of media
sessions. Then, he took the next step to work on finalizing
his staff and getting to work on the 2022 recruiting class.
Recruiting was a huge talking point in his inaugural press
conference due to the fact it will ultimately set a foundation
for how Kelly’s first year coaching at LSU will turn out.
“I’m here because I wanted to coach the very best players
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in the country, that are afforded the best resources in the
country and play in the best conference in the country,”
Kelly said to reporters. “That is an incredible challenge to a
football coach.”
Kelly did not hesitate to get immediately to work. Less
than two weeks after declaring his switch to LSU, he took to
Twitter to congratulate many new recruits, including Will
Campbell, Walker Howard, Demario Tolan and Quency
Wiggins.
As for current LSU quarterback Myles Brennan—
who was expected to transfer following an in-season
announcement—he declared on Thursday, Dec. 16, that he
will play for Kelly in the 2022 season for the Tigers. While
this was not Brennan’s original plan, it became evident
that Kelly is capable of changing minds and making things
happen for LSU football, even though he’s only spent a
short time in Baton Rouge.
In LSU Sports’ Hey Fightin’ podcast on YouTube, digital
media reporter Cody Worsham was able to talk one-on-one
with Kelly about his transition. When Worsham asked what
Kelly’s selling point was to switch to LSU, Kelly said he
didn’t know if there was a need for sell.
“Places don’t sell me, people do,” Kelly said. “The
alignment needed to be with the athletic director, the
president, the board, the fan base, and so I wanted to be at a
place that had that alignment. That was clear.”