LSU Football fans’ calls to fire Brian Kelly are unrealistic

LSU Football just played one of their worst games under Brian Kelly. Fans can be upset, but those calling for the head coach’s firing are way off target.

Nobody is getting fired despite LSU’s putrid loss to Ole Miss on Saturday. Defensive coordinator Matt House is not getting fired and neither is Brian Kelly.

I understand that LSU Football fans are upset with the results following last night’s 55-49 loss. The Tigers have dropped to 3-2 on the season and are very likely out of the College Football Playoff picture. Lashing out is acceptable, but fans must remain grounded in reality.

LSU fans must also remember how we got here.

Remember that Ed Orgeron left behind a mess

The LSU Football program was a running joke in the final year of Ed Orgeron’s tenure. The Tigers finished 6-7 including more headlines via off-field shenanigans than on-field play. Orgeron hardly struggled recruiting while in Baton Rouge, but player discipline within the program was a problem.

We must also ask ourselves why the 2023 LSU Tigers, largely composed of Orgeron era players, are struggling in games against tougher opponents.

I see fans on social media claiming LSU fired Orgeron for losing games like Kelly lost on Saturday night in Oxford. Such is incorrect. Coach O’s tenure in Death Valley unraveled over a 21-month period during which success went to his head and appropriate personal conduct was an afterthought.

Remember why LSU hired Brian Kelly

LSU athletic director Scott Woodward sought a new football head coach that was the opposite of Ed Orgeron. In Kelly, Woodward gained a hard-nosed coach with a proven record of sustained success at multiple stops. Moreover, Kelly’s tenure at Notre Dame demonstrated the ability to keep his players on the straight and narrow.

Kelly was breath of fresh air for LSU Football fans in 2022, but the teams’ immediate success has caused more harm than good in 2023. Demanding Kelly to win more than 10 games and reach the College Football Playoff in year two of a program rebuild is unrealistic.

Mike Norvell didn’t win 10 games and appear in a bowl game until his third season at Florida State. In year four, Norvell has the Seminoles ranked in the top four and well within the CFP discussion. His example is one that LSU fans must consider when evaluating Kelly’s success in Baton Rouge.

Success by year four is the expectation

Kelly’s recruits will makeup the majority of LSU’s roster by year four. If the defense is still surrendering 55 points to Ole Miss in year four, then we have a problem. Until then, we must manage our expectations as fans.

The reality is that Kelly is hardly in the middle of an LSU Football reclamation project.

I remain confident that Kelly will get the LSU Tigers back into national championship competition, but it won’t happen overnight. No amount of coaching or scheming can makeup for the talent gaps that exists on LSU’s 2023 roster, especially on defense.

We’ve got at least eight more years of Brian Kelly in Baton Rouge, folks. Let’s take it week-by-week and trust that he’s doing what Orgeron did not do: sustain success.