Brian Kelly's top five offenses: Here are Kelly's top units from his 21-year FBS career
Brian Kelly's top five offenses: Here are Kelly's top units from his 21-year FBS career
LSU football head coach Brian Kelly has coached FBS football for 21 years. After a successful tenure at the D-II ranks, he took over Central Michigan in 2004. From there, Kelly went to Cincinnati before landing at Notre Dame. LSU hired Kelly at the tail end of 2021 and Kelly is set to begin year four with the Tigers in 2025.
In his 21 years, Kelly has won 195 football games. A national title has eluded Kelly, but he's led teams to several playoff and New Year's Six bowl appearances.
You don't win that many games without good offense, especially in the 21st-century version of college football. Kelly has been a head coach since 1991. He's not a guy with an "offensive" or "defensive" background. He's your classic football coach, involved with both sides of the ball.
But today, we'll look at Brian Kelly's top five offenses through the years.
5. 2024 LSU Tigers
Coming in at No. 5 is Kelly's most recent offensive unit. LSU's 2024 offense took a step back from the gaudy numbers we saw in 2023, but that was expected with the loss of Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers, and Brian Thomas Jr. Joe Sloan was in his first year calling the plays after Mike Denbrock left for Notre Dame.
Despite the losses, the Tigers still finished the year No. 11 in ESPN's offensive SP+ rankings. QB Garrett Nussmeier has one of the most talented arms that Kelly has ever coached. Nussmeier put on a show in the second half of LSU's upset vs. Ole Miss and looked like an elite QB over LSU's final three games.
The 2024 unit struggled to run the ball, but RB Caden Durham finished the campaign with over 1,000 total yards. Kyren Lacy and Aaron Anderson led a talented wide receiver group and left tackle Will Campbell is slated to be a first-round pick.
4. 2017 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
LSU fans got to meet Kelly's offense in 2017. The Fighting Irish capped their year off with a win over Ed Orgeron's LSU in the Citrus Bowl.
According to Sports Reference OSRS rating, the 2017 Notre Dame offense was the ninth-best unit in the country. Notre Dame's 7.99 yards per play ranked No. 14 in FBS, but the rushing attack was lethal, ranking No. 3 nationally in yards per carry.
Running back Josh Adams was the centerpiece, racking up 1,430 yards. The Irish didn't have a single standout at WR, but it was a talented group that featured Chase Claypool and EQ St. Brown.
Quarterback Brandon Wimbush completed less than 50% of his passes, but averaged 13.8 yards per completion.
3. 2015 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The 2015 Notre Dame offense ranked No. 7 nationally in yards per play and scored 34.2 points per game. The defense was pretty good too and Notre Dame finished No. 11 in the AP Poll after losing to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Kelly had one of his most talented QBs with Deshone Kizer leading the way. Kizer went on to be a top-60 overall pick in the NFL draft and was highly regarded as a college passer.
The Irish boasted a strong RB duo of CJ Prosise and Josh Adams, resulting in ND ranking No. 9 in yards per rush. Notre Dame's overall yards per play mark was also good enough to rank top 10 in the FBS.
Wide receiver Will Fuller added an explosive threat on the outside, racking up 1,258 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging over 20 yards per catch.
2. 2009 Cincinnati Bearcats
Kelly doesn't get the Notre Dame job without his 2009 Cincinnati offense. The Bearcats unit was one of the best in the country on its way to a Sugar Bowl appearance.
Cincinnati averaged 7.0 yards per play, which ranked No. 2 in FBS. The passing attack was prolific, averaging over 300 yards per contest. The Bearcats ranked fourth in OSRS and QB Tony Pike tossed 29 touchdowns.
Wide receiver Mardy Gilyard totaled 1,191 yards on the year. Gilyard, along with WR Armon Binns, combined for 22 scores. The passing attack was the main event, but running back Isaiah Pead averaged 6.7 yards per rush and finished the year with over 1,000 total yards.
This offense scored 40+ points on six occasions.
1. 2023 LSU Tigers
No. 1 is no surprise. The 2023 LSU offense wasn't just the best of Brian Kelly's coaching career, it was one of the best in college football history.
LSU posted a 20-yard play rate of 12.7%. That was the best mark in the country by a wide margin. LSU averaged 8.4 yards per play and led FBS In yards per pass and yards per carry. It was complete dominance across the board.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels put up historic numbers and Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. will go down as one of the best receiving duos in college football history.
LSU led the country with 45.5 points per game, but a lackluster defense cost Kelly and LSU a chance at a playoff appearance and a national title run. Regardless, this unit is the best of Kelly's career.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Cooper Witten, son of Dallas Cowboys legend, to camp at Notre Dame
The son of an NFL legend will have a chance to shine at Notre Dame's Irish Invasion event this weekend. Top Fighting Irish target Cooper Witten will be at the program's signature recruiting event along with a bevy of other top prospects who have been on ND's radar. Advertisement The Class of 2027 five-star linebacker from Liberty Christian (Argyle, TX) grew up watching his father, Jason, excel in a likely Hall of Fame career with the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders. After retirement, Witten became the head coach at Liberty Christian, where Cooper and his older brother CJ attend. He led the program to back to back state championships in 2023 and 2024. The 6-foot and 3-inch, 210-pound younger Witten earned an offer from Clemson Wednesday after showcasing his skills at the Dabo Swinney football camp. Witten moves with ease and has run a 10.91-second 100 meters. His elite closing speed and football instincts make him one of the premiere defenders in his class. His offer list includes heavy hitters outside of Notre Dame, including Alabama, Michigan, Texas and his father's alma mater, Tennessee. In his sophomore season, he had 45 tackles, five interceptions (two returned for touchdowns) and seven receiving scores on offense. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Advertisement Follow Dave on X: Miller_Dave This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Cooper Witten, son of Dallas Cowboys legend, to camp at Notre Dame
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Cooper Witten, son of Dallas Cowboys legend, to camp at Notre Dame
Cooper Witten, son of Dallas Cowboys legend, to camp at Notre Dame The son of an NFL legend will have a chance to shine at Notre Dame's Irish Invasion event this weekend. Top Fighting Irish target Cooper Witten will be at the program's signature recruiting event along with a bevy of other top prospects who have been on ND's radar. The Class of 2027 five-star linebacker from Liberty Christian (Argyle, TX) grew up watching his father, Jason, excel in a likely Hall of Fame career with the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders. After retirement, Witten became the head coach at Liberty Christian, where Cooper and his older brother CJ attend. He led the program to back to back state championships in 2023 and 2024. The 6-foot and 3-inch, 210-pound younger Witten earned an offer from Clemson Wednesday after showcasing his skills at the Dabo Swinney football camp. Witten moves with ease and has run a 10.91-second 100 meters. His elite closing speed and football instincts make him one of the premiere defenders in his class. His offer list includes heavy hitters outside of Notre Dame, including Alabama, Michigan, Texas and his father's alma mater, Tennessee. In his sophomore season, he had 45 tackles, five interceptions (two returned for touchdowns) and seven receiving scores on offense. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Dave on X: Miller_Dave
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Baton Rouge Super Regional Preview: Schedule, analysis, prediction for LSU vs. WVU
Baton Rouge Super Regional Preview: Schedule, analysis, prediction for LSU vs. WVU LSU baseball is two wins away from a return to Omaha and the College World Series. On Saturday, the Tigers will being a best-of-three series vs. West Virginia in the Baton Rouge Super Regional. For LSU, it's the Tigers' 17th super regional appearance since the current format was adopted in 1999. It's the 12th super regional being hosted in Alex Box Stadium. The Box has been kind to LSU in the postseason. The Tigers are 9-3 in Baton Rouge Super Regionals. And even when it looks like hope is lost, Baton Rouge has a way of figuring things out. LSU's last super regional appearance came in 2023, when the Tigers swept Kentucky in two games. Led by Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews, that team went on to win the national championship. The last time LSU dropped a super regional in Baton Rouge was 2019, when Florida State got the best of Paul Mainieri's squad. Here's a complete preview of LSU baseball's Baton Rouge Super Regional vs. West Virginia. LSU baseball vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Super Regional: Time and TV schedule GAME 1: Saturday, 1:00 PM CT, ESPN GAME 2: Sunday, 5:00 PM CT, ESPN2 If a Game 3 is necessary, time and TV information will be released this weekend. Elite starting pitching could be the story of the weekend Both LSU and West Virginia are built around elite starting pitching. Both squads have two pitchers at the top of the rotation who could be considered ace's 1A and 1B. For LSU, Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson. For West Virginia, its Griffin Kirn and Jack Kartsonas. Anderson and Eyanson are coming off dominant performances in the Baton Rouge Regional and are two of the best strikeout getters in college baseball. In their regional starts, they combined for 14.2 shutout innings. Then Eyanson was called upon again to get the final outs as a reliever in the final. We know what we're getting with these, too. Anderson has a chance to be a top-five draft pick in this year's MLB Draft, while Eyanson is making a strong case to be a first-round pick too. On the other side, Kirn is a tall lefty who can challenge LSU with a three-pitch mix. His fastball sits low 90s, but it has some cut. His wide release makes him tough on lefties. Kirn has a 3.13 ERA in 95 innings this year. Kartsonas, with his 2.94 ERA, might even be better than Kirn. He's pitched fewer innings with 64.1 on the year, but Kartsonas' strikeout rate was one of the best in the Big 12. Who has the lineup to equalize the starting pitching? Both LSU and West Virginia enter the series with some questions about the lineup. Both squads finished their respective regionals with double-digit runs, but that doesn't tell the full story. LSU struggled to score on Sunday night vs. Little Rock when the power disappeared. That's been a problem for LSU at multiple points in 2025. When LSU isn't driving the ball, the Tigers have failed to produce runs vs. quality pitching. And LSU will see quality pitching this week. Jay Johnson altered the lineup in the regional final, and it paid off with Ethan Frey in the No. 2 slot. The struggling Jared Jones was moved down to No. 6, and he rewarded Johnson with a two-hit night, including a home run to put the game on ice. That's the Jones LSU needs to show up this weekend. With a lefty getting the start for WVU in Game 1, we could see Johnson make adjustments again. Some of the same questions can be asked about West Virginia. The Mountaineers rank No. 3 in the Big 12 with a .299 batting average, but ranked 11th in slugging and home runs. Just one Mountaineer has double-digit homers in 2025. This isn't a lineup that does damage with the home run. That should work in LSU's favor. Anderson and Eyanson have been susceptible to homers, but it's not easy to string hits together vs. the Tigers' aces. WVU doesn't strike out much, which means the ball will be put in play. But more good news for LSU: The Tigers' defense is good at converting balls in play to outs. LSU's lineup has the advantage With all of that in mind, I feel better about the LSU bats this weekend. Yes, there have been times when LSU has gone silent at the plate, but this is still a top 25 lineup. Meanwhile, West Virginia ranks outside the top 90 in key categories. LSU needs a pitcher to step up LSU is set with Anderson and Eyanson, but there are questions elsewhere on the pitching staff. Last week, Jay Johnson handed the ball to Jaden Noot on Sunday, and Noot couldn't make it out of the second inning. The same thing happened when Johnson gave Zac Cowan a start on Monday. Casan Evans entered in relief of Cowan and was dynamite for six innings. It's clear Evans is the third-best pitcher on this staff right now, but LSU will need more than three pitchers to get it done this weekend. Yes, there's a scenario where Anderson throws a complete game and then Eyanson and Evans combine to shut down the Mountaineers on Sunday, but you can't count on that. Whether it's Noot, Cowan, or Chase Shores, LSU needs another arm it can rely on. Cowan was one of the nation's top relievers before his recent struggles. If he can get back to the Cowan we saw in April, LSU is set. Even if LSU makes it through the super regional without finding another pitcher it can trust, LSU will need guys to step up in Omaha. You can't win a College World Series with just three pitchers. What does West Virginia's pitching depth look like? WVU's top reliever is Reese Bassinger. After Kirn pitched 7.1 strong innings in the regional opener vs. Kentucky, Bassinger entered to shut it down. Bassinger is far from unhittable, though. He's posted a 4.28 ERA in 61 innings this year and doesn't have the strikeout stuff you'd expect from a closer. Expect to see Chase Meyer in a high-leverage spot at some point. He owns a 4.09 ERA but has struck out 62 in just 44 innings. What the Massey Ratings say The Massey Ratings rank every team in the country based on scores and strength of schedule. Here's how LSU and WVU matchup: Stat LSU WVU Overall Rating Ranking 5th 15th Offense Ranking 16th 29th Defense/Pitching Ranking 3rd 30th Strength of schedule 62nd 79th LSU vs. West Virginia Betting Odds Here are the Baton Rouge Super Regional betting odds, courtesy of BetMGM. LSU -400, West Virginia +310 That puts LSU's handle-adjusted odds of winning the series at 76.61%. Prediction Its hard to pick against LSU in Baton Rouge, and I'm not going to be the one to do it. I think LSU sweeps West Virginia behind stellar outings from Anderson and Eyanson. I like the Tigers.
