Nov 16, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly walks onto the field before a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Pressure On? ESPN Labels LSU Football's Brian Kelly a Head Coach to Watch in 2025

Originally posted on LSU Tigers on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated May 17, 2025 1:30 PM ET

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers continue navigating a critical offseason in Baton Rouge with the program gearing up for the 2025 season.

The Bayou Bengals have reconstructed the roster in The Boot with the No. 1 Transfer Portal Class in America set to suit up in the purple and gold.

Headlined by EDGE Patrick Payton [Florida State], wide receiver Nic Anderson [Oklahoma] and safety A.J. Haulcy [Houston], among several others, it's a new-look roster for the program.

Now, with a unique blend of returning players and newcomers set to suit up for the Tigers, expectations are rising.

LSU has been a program stealing the spotlight all offseason with national media outlets pointing towards the Tigers as a team to keep tabs on in 2025.

It's a "College Football Playoff or Bust" season for Kelly and Co. with ESPN now weighing in on what's at stake.

ESPN listed the 10 "coaches to watch" in 2025 with Kelly joining the likes of Colorado's Deion Sanders, North Carolina's Bill Belichick and Alabama's Kalen DeBoer, among others.

ESPN's Take: "Kelly came to the Bayou with the expressed purpose of winning a national title, just like the three Tigers coaches before him (Ed Orgeron, Les Miles, Nick Saban).

"Instead, he watched his former team, Notre Dame, make a CFP run while he sat home again. Kelly could have his best team as quarterback Garrett Nussmeier stayed, and LSU made a strong transfer portal push.”

It'll be Nussmeier running the show in Baton Rouge this upcoming season as he returns for his second year as the starting signal-caller and fifth season of college football.

After a productive first season as the starting quarterback in 2024, all eyes will be on Nussmeier to take that next step in Baton Rouge this upcoming fall.

He will look to develop across the next few months after piecing together a 2024 campaign where he totaled 3,738 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 12 games played.

Now, heading into the 2025 season, all eyes will be on the LSU Tigers with expectations rising in the Bayou State ahead of a critical year for the program.