LSU finished its regular season on Saturday after a close loss to Oklahoma. This season marked the worst finish for the Tigers since the Orgeron era, ending 7-5 while having a conference record of 3-5.
Despite the recent struggles though, LSU fans have already set their minds to next season after the news of Lane Kiffin signing as the next head coach of the Tigers.
Fans had much higher expectations for LSU at the beginning of the year after starting 4-0, but a variety of failures around the team caused the Tigers to drop to being unranked and forced them into complete rebuild mode going into next season.
What does LSU need to do under Kiffin next year to have a successful season and fight for a national championship?
First, Kiffin needs to piece together a new offensive line and re-establish the run game.
LSU has always been known for its physical running playstyle, leading to some of the best running corps in college football history. This season has been everything short of that though, with the run offense being ranked dead last in the SEC while the offensive line also let up about two sacks a game.
The struggle getting the run game going showed to be a huge disadvantage for LSU, with the Tigers really struggling to get the offense moving early in contests. LSU managed to not finish a single opening drive this year with a touchdown, something simply embarrassing for such a historic offensive program.
With Brian Kelly’s questionable game management earlier in the season, LSU’s offense was held back greatly. Players like Harlem Berry and Caden Durham have proven to be talented runners for LSU, but in this year’s system they did not amount to the production they’d usually achieve. With an offensive mastermind like Kiffin coming in, LSU fans should have high hopes for returning playmakers.
Kiffin’s Ole Miss team ranked first in total offense and passing offense while also being top five in rushing offense, truly dominating the SEC this year offensively. With the already strong recruiting ties between Kiffin and Louisiana and Mississippi prospects, there will likely be a large number of top players following Kiffin to Baton Rouge.
Kiffin will also surely lure some of his top Ole Miss guys down to the boot. If Kiffin can also work to bring in some of his top offensive linemen, this LSU offense could look completely fresh and hopefully have similar production to what Kiffin brought to Ole Miss.
Second, Kiffin needs to continue letting Blake Baker run the defense while he focuses on recruiting depth.
There’s no doubt that despite the poor record, LSU’s defense was still a bright spot on this team, and with a better offense to back them up, could have been the best defense in the SEC. LSU’s secondary was star-studded this season, having one of the best passing defenses in the SEC and combining for the most interceptions of any SEC team with 17.
Kiffin also managed a strong defensive group at Ole Miss, but that is not the side of the ball where his main strengths are. Ole Miss ended up finishing in the bottom half of total offense given up while also being thirteenth in rushing defense.
Where Kiffin’s arrival helps the defense significantly is in the players he will draw to LSU. Louisiana and Mississippi are some of the best states for recruiting top linemen, with countless studs taking the conventional path of going to their home state’s powerhouse program like LSU or Ole Miss. With Kiffin leaving Ole Miss though, the draw to Ole Miss is lowered significantly for players deciding between LSU and Ole Miss. Instead, many players will likely now see LSU as the top destination for great SEC coaching, along with a historic football program and university.
With the hype around Kiffin and LSU next year, players around Louisiana are starting to lock themselves into LSU. Five-star defensive studs like Richard Anderson and Lamar Brown have also come out and confirmed their commitment to LSU after Kiffin’s arrival, two players who will greatly help the Tigers in Kiffin’s tenure here. It’s now only a matter of time to see who else hops on the LSU train and possibly flips their commitment or transfers from Ole Miss to LSU.
Last, Kiffin needs to find the right quarterback for next year.
LSU was nowhere near the offensive production it should usually be at this season and much of that can fall on the poor play of Garrett Nussmeier. LSU did not manage to score over 25 points this season against FBS opponents, undoubtedly being a significant lowlight in the program’s history.
Luckily, the Nussmeier-Kelly curtain has closed on LSU and now the Tigers are forced to look for a new quarterback to follow Kiffin’s orders and run the offense. There’s still many question marks around Nussmeier’s replacement, Michael Van Buren Jr., and I think Kiffin will look toward the transfer portal and even possibly a former Ole Miss quarterback to find the guy for the job.
Some people speculate that Kiffin will try to get breakout star QB Trinnidad Chambliss to join him at LSU, but that might be too far-fetched to say right now. Fellow Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons is also a possibility after he lost his starting role to Chambliss earlier this season, and now looks toward the transfer portal to find a new home for next year.
LSU’s next quarterback does not need to be the perfect player from the very beginning, but just someone with the intangibles and leadership qualities to sit under Kiffin and develop through his coaching expertise. Kiffin may not have automatic results, but with the right pieces under him, he will definitely create an exciting team that’ll win games.
Maybe LSU gives Kiffin just enough more than Ole Miss for him to overcome his SEC struggles and finally earn that playoff spot he was fighting for for so long in Oxford.
