LSU football's recruiting hires prove the Tigers are ready to compete for national title

USA Today

3 days ago

LSU football had quite the week on the recruiting trail. The Tigers added five-star defensive lineman Lamar Brown, beating out Texas A&M for the player ESPN ranks as the No. 1 overall prospect.
But LSU made moves behind the scenes, too. LSU added two key names to its personnel staff: Sam Pettito and Jeff Martin. Pettito comes from Ohio State, where he worked as the Buckeyes' director of player personnel. Martin, who will begin his second stint at LSU, comes from USC.
LSU's personnel department underwent changes throughout the offseason. Some staffers were promoted, some were let go, and others left for jobs elsewhere. But Kelly, along with associate AD Austin Thomas, didn't rush to fill the roles.
In the last week, the staff has begun to fill out. Along with Pettito and Martin, LSU also hired Kevin Bolden, most recently of Ole Miss.
These hires signal LSU is continuing to put its money where its mouth is as the House Settlement era of college sports begins. As the sport shifts away from the wild west model of NIL, there's a bigger edge to be gained in roster management. The room for error is less if resources are more finite. Identifying talent and then paying that talent the proper percentage of the "salary cap" will be key.
These hires put LSU in a position to compete at the top of the sport as we enter a new era.
On the field, Brian Kelly and the Tigers are still looking to break through. Kelly is yet to earn a playoff berth leading LSU, but he feels the Tigers have the roster to do it in 2025. LSU is taking the steps to ensure it maintains that talent level year in and year out.
Ohio State and USC have recruited at an elite level over the last year. Both programs have proven to be equipped for this era of talent acquisition, even if USC hasn't shown it on the field yet. Martin and Pettito played big roles in that at their respective schools.
LSU's resume as a program is as strong as any. The Tigers have three national titles this century, tied with Ohio State for the second most in that span. But LSU has struggled with consistency. After LSU won the national title in 2019, LSU won just 11 games over the next two years. If Kelly gets LSU over the hump in 2024, the Tigers will have staying power.
LSU hired Austin Thomas in 2024 with this in mind. LSU's associate AD for football administration is a de facto general manager. He's one of the best in the business, and that continues to be reflected in LSU's recent hires.