Brian Kelly's top five offenses: Here are Kelly's top units from his 21-year FBS career

USA Today

09-04-2025

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.