When Brian Kelly walked into the Omni Hotel in downtown Dallas to check in on a Sunday afternoon last summer prior to his appearance at SEC Media Days, he did so in stealth mode. He shook hands with a league administrator near the registration counter, placed his luggage on the floor and greeted the concierge with brief pleasantries.
Free of the customary throng of fans asking for autographs after his arrival, absent were media crews huddled in the corner waiting for comments, and there was no group of LSU handlers around him protecting every move.
This wasn’t Tom Cruise being spotted inside of a local coffee shop with paparazzi in pursuit ahead of a giant movie premiere. No, this might as well have been Kelly back at Cincinnati prior to his run at Notre Dame, unrecognizable to many simply finishing out travel day in Texas.
Delivering this with respect given his track record of success elsewhere, Kelly is still small potatoes within college football’s most competitive conference. Until he wins a league championship or makes his first playoff appearance at LSU, Kelly is just another handsomely paid coach hoping to strike gold with a transfer-infused roster the Tigers have exhausted resources to bring to the field.
Kelly toppled Nick Saban during his first season in Baton Rouge, but the memorable wins have been few and far between since. LSU is 2-7 against ranked competition since Kelly’s dice roll in overtime against the Crimson Tide in 2022 triggered pandemonium inside Tiger Stadium and placed the program in the thick of the playoff conversation.
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A flat performance at Texas A&M followed, and a blowout loss to Georgia in Atlanta marked a low point for Kelly to end his first season. The stakes haven’t returned to that level since.
Until now.
Sunday night’s commitment from former All-Big 12 Houston safety A.J. Haulcy brings another immediate-impact starter to LSU’s roster ahead of the 2025 season, further strengthening a group that is undoubtedly Kelly’s deepest of his tenure.
The Tigers beat known big spender Miami for Haulcy, stiff-armed several elite programs for edge rushers Patrick Payton (Florida State) and Jack Pyburn (Florida) this cycle and were first in line to welcome pass-catchers Nic Anderson (Oklahoma) and Barion Brown (Kentucky) to upgrade their wideout room.
Haulcy is the second of two post-spring additions for Kelly, who also signed USF defensive tackle Bernard Gooden, one of the top-rated players available and explosive piece on the interior within LSU’s nickel and dime packages.
The Tigers are one of college football’s “haves” in the NIL arms race, and part of that accomplishment came via Kelly, who agreed in December to personally match up to $1 million in contributions to LSU’s NIL fund.
“LSU has a long and proud tradition of being one of the elite programs in college football,” Kelly said in a statement. “In order to remain among the nation’s elite in this new world of college athletics, we have to be competitive in all areas of our program. I am committed to doing all that we can to win championships at LSU.
“While we are not permitted to financially support our NIL efforts directly, (wife) Paqui and I can certainly match this tremendous fanbase’s generosity by investing in the future of LSU Athletics through the Tiger Athletic Foundation.”
Kelly’s yearning to win big at LSU is indisputable. The pressure to guide LSU to its first playoff appearance since 2019 this season increases with every additional recruiting victory. As it stands, 29 wins over three seasons fails to meet program expectations when the three coaches who preceded Kelly all won national championships in Baton Rouge.
Right now, LSU’s trophy case has only added Citrus, ReliaQuest and Texas Bowl trophies to its expansive case. This is a group in 2025, anchored by potential 2026 NFL Draft No. 1 overall pick Garrett Nussmeier, that is capable of bringing Kelly his first national title and punctuating his career with a new defining moment.
Kelly’s coaching seat in the SEC would cool and he’d have to hire a security team for his next media days appearance as a reigning champion.
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