ATLANTA — LSU coach Brian Kelly wasted no time setting the tone Monday at SEC Media Days, focusing on defensive improvement and the high stakes awaiting his program.
Entering his fourth season in Baton Rouge, Kelly said the Tigers will take a “playoff-or-bust” mindset into 2025, beginning with a challenging opener against Clemson.
“We haven’t played the kind of defense necessary to win a national championship,” Kelly said. “We’ve given defensive coordinator Blake Baker the tools to play championship-level defense. Clearly, the 2023 offensive football team we had was good enough to win the national championship, but we weren’t good enough as a team.
“A lot of that was addressing the shortcoming we had on defense. I love our seriousness and focus and intent. Anytime you go on the road and play a team like Clemson, you better bring a defense with you.”
Kelly, who has more career victories than any other active coach, is still seeking his first win in a season opener at LSU. The Tigers have not started with a victory since their 2019 national championship season.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, LSU is currently a three-point underdog against Clemson.
LSU’s offseason overhaul included major additions from the transfer portal. Among the newcomers are edge rusher Jack Plyburn (Florida), safety A.J. Haulcy (Houston), edge rusher Patrick Payton (Florida State), and nose tackle Sydir Mitchell (Texas).
The Tigers also return quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who threw for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season in his first year as a starter.
Nussmeier will lead an offense that must replace four starters on the line, including No. 4 overall NFL Draft pick Will Campbell.
Kelly praised Nussmeier’s commitment to team goals over individual accolades.
“He wants to lead our football team to a championship and if the Heisman follows that, I think he’s good with that,” Kelly said. “Our conversations with him aren’t about individual goals, they’re about how he can lead this football team to a championship.
“His selfishness is going to be the differentiator from last year to this year as well as the experience he had playing against really good SEC teams.”
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia arrived at Media Days with high expectations after winning a court battle for an additional year of eligibility.
Pavia, who transferred from New Mexico State, finished last season with over 3,000 total yards and 28 touchdowns, helping Vanderbilt to bowl eligibility and a landmark win over Alabama.
“I came back to finish something that we started and that’s to win a national championship,” Pavia said on 106.3 The Game. “Every loss I blame on myself when I go home at night, Texas was a big one. Two interceptions on tipped balls was big.
“Georgia State, we lost in the last 10 seconds. And then Missouri, we lost in double overtime. We win those three games and we’re in the playoffs.”
Pavia’s performance against Auburn last fall caught the attention of Commodores coach Clark Lea. Now, Vanderbilt is leaning on Pavia’s leadership as it aims for a breakthrough season.
“I’ve believed in myself since the beginning, I always believed I could play in the SEC,” Pavia said. “That game was a good one. We got a lot of players from New Mexico State who are playing on Vanderbilt right now and I’m super-excited for those guys.”
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer enters his fifth year optimistic but realistic about his young defense. The Gamecocks return just 49% of their defensive production and must replace six starters, including the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and three other NFL Draft picks.
“For us, we didn’t pay attention to it [last year] and we don’t need to be listening to it right now,” Beamer said. “There’s teams last year that all summer long were getting built up and went out in Week 1, got smacked in the face and never recovered. What it gets down to is preparing and playing good football on Saturdays.”
South Carolina’s defense allowed 18.1 points per game and 317 yards per game last season, both among the best in the SEC. Beamer said the team has recruited well and expects edge rusher Dylan Stewart to play a key role this season.
“Those guys are gone, but we’ve recruited well,” Beamer said. “In the secondary, we’re fortunate we bring back the bulk. We lose [Kyle] Kennard, but we’re fortunate we bring back the best edge rusher, in my opinion, in the country with Dylan Stewart.
“We’ve got to be good around him. Overall, it’s a young defense, but we have size, we have speed and we have the things that you’re looking for. We’ve got some talented guys I think are eager to take the next step.”
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin opened his appearance by reflecting on his gratitude for the Oxford community, especially after the death of his parents. Kiffin, entering his sixth season, also addressed his social media activity, including playful jabs at Auburn coach Hugh Freeze.
“It’s been an amazing experience,” Kiffin said. “I don’t give you coach-speak. You lose your parents and you see how [the people of Oxford] helped take care of them at the end and cared about them. It opened my eyes in a completely different way. I owe so much to Oxford and the people there.”
The expanded College Football Playoff format has heightened expectations across the conference.
For LSU and South Carolina, a playoff berth is the minimum goal. For Vanderbilt, led by Pavia, making the playoff would be a milestone.
The SEC’s first day in Atlanta highlighted programs addressing gaps and taking accountability.
Coaches and players spoke of urgency, focus, and the importance of adapting quickly as the season approaches.
As the league prepares for September, the storylines are getting pretty clear and sounds a lot like predictions.
LSU is seeking redemption, Vanderbilt eyes a breakthrough and South Carolina must prove last season’s defensive standard can be maintained.
Things will get more interesting on Tuesday. Bigger names will be in the house at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
Auburn and Georgia will kick things off in the morning with the oldest rivalry in the South starting the second day. Then it will be Tennessee and Texas, two schools with a much richer tradition than most people even realize.
