The 2025 college football season is shaping up to be a defining one for LSU head coach Brian Kelly. After three seasons in Baton Rouge, including back-to-back 10-win campaigns and a Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Jayden Daniels, the pressure is on. And according to college football analyst Josh Pate, it’s officially a “prove it” year for Kelly.
Josh Pate Warns Brian Kelly Must Deliver in 2025 After LSU’s Defensive Collapse
During a recent episode of “Late Kick with Josh Pate,” the host pointed out that LSU’s underwhelming defense in 2024 overshadowed what could have been a playoff-worthy run behind Daniels’ electric performances. “It sort of wasted away the Jayden Daniels year,” Pate said, referring to the Tigers’ inability to capitalize on their offensive firepower due to a porous defense that often let leads slip and failed to hold ground in critical moments.
Kelly, who signed a 10-year deal in 2021 after leaving Notre Dame, has had moments of success but has yet to deliver the program’s ultimate goal, a national title. At a place like LSU, where the last three head coaches (Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Ed Orgeron) all brought home national championships, the bar is unforgivingly high.
Now heading into Year 4, Kelly has reloaded with a vengeance. LSU boasts the No. 1 transfer class in the country, with a specific emphasis on patching holes in the secondary. Combine that with the return of quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who brings experience and potential in a wide-open SEC quarterback landscape, and expectations are sky-high.
Despite LSU holding the fifth-best odds to win the SEC in 2025, the gap between them and the top of the conference feels more reputational than insurmountable. Pate noted that LSU’s talent and quarterback situation give them a real shot, but only if the defense takes a major step forward in its second year under a revamped coaching staff.
If the Tigers falter again, especially with such a loaded roster and experienced quarterback, the scrutiny on Kelly will intensify. With a contract that runs through 2031, Kelly may appear secure on paper, but as any LSU coach knows, job security in Baton Rouge is tied to championships, not contracts.
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Pate’s warning echoes what many fans are already feeling: it’s time for Kelly to deliver. The roster is loaded. The quarterback is proven. The excuses are running out.
LSU’s 2025 schedule doesn’t provide much room for error, with early conference clashes and high-stakes matchups throughout. But if Kelly can get the defense right and tap into the talent pool he’s assembled, the Tigers could finally break into the College Football Playoff conversation.
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