Monday Recruiting Nuggets
No. 14 LSU (8-3, 5-2) hopes to host several Aggie commits on Saturday and would love nothing more than to end Texas A&M’s season on a losing note.
No. 14 LSU (8-3, 5-2) hopes to host several Aggie commits on Saturday and would love nothing more than to end Texas A&M’s season on a losing note. We will update this throughout the week, but here are some guys who have said they intend to be there Saturday for the 11 a.m. kickoff.
That kick time is less than ideal, with some having playoff games on Friday and the heavy travel weekend, so we’ll see how things shake out.
LSU has one last opportunity to finish out the 2023 regular season on a high note but once again closes with a Texas A&M team looking to put a damper on that goal.
Here were a few takeaways from Kelly’s press conference previewing the regular season finale.
As football season winds down for practically all the teams around the country not jockeying for a spot in the college football playoff, the futures of many upperclassmen start to come into play. LSU will be honoring its seniors on Saturday night, and for some, there will be the opportunity to return in 2024.
Kelly has spoken some this season already about the importance of retention when it comes to this roster and certainly getting some continuity back with these older players is a goal for the program this offseason.
“We do and each year we go through this process where you have a couple of senior days. It’s one of those situations where we’re really working off their academic calendar, not their eligibility calendar. There is that opportunity that somebody could come back because we’re still dealing with the COVID year as that additional year of eligibility,” Kelly said.
One player who isn’t a senior but LSU would love to get back in the fold for 2024 is defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo, who underwent surgery that will force him to miss the rest of the year. Wingo would be a major piece on the interior to get back in the fold and the plan, Kelly says, is to re-recruit him on why returning for a fourth season would be a benefit to him.
Why A&M game will be perfect final test for LSU offense
If this LSU offense wanted to make one last statement of why it’s the best group in the country, this weekend would be the time to do it. With Texas A&M sporting a top 10 group in total defense entering this final regular season game, Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers and this entire offensive unit have something to prove.
It’s an Aggies group that ranks top 15 in the country against the run and pass so it’s been very consistent in the way they execute the gameplan.
Kelly believes Texas A&M is the best defense LSU will face this season and with Daniels, Nabers and this offense getting one final time to take the field and show their worthiness of national recognition, it’s an opportunity the group is ready for.
“They’re excited about playing Texas A&M. It’s a great challenge for them and they’re excited about it,” Kelly said.
Daniels in particular can make another Heisman statement with another standout performance while Nabers can set the LSU career receiving yards record with a 144-yard performance or better. Kelly has been in the game for over 30 years and has never been around a player like Daniels who has executed at this level for most of the year.
“I truly think he’s the best player in the country. I’ve been watching him. What he’s doing is so different in terms of what I’ve seen throughout my career in terms of pushing the ball down the field, the accuracy in terms of dropping balls into tight coverages, running the football and the assertiveness,” Kelly said. “These aren’t cupcake throws, all of his throws are vertical throws and his runs, he’s making people miss. He shows toughness and that guy’s a football player and he’s playing the game of football at a level I’ve never seen before.
“If you wanna look at numbers, Daniels’ numbers are starting to pull away from everybody. He’s nearly 1,000 yards in total offense ahead of the next candidate. If you wanna look at numbers, this race is starting to distance itself.”
What to expect with A&M team with interim coach
The Aggies fired Jimbo Fisher a little over a week ago and have handed over the reins to interim coach Elijah Robinson. Texas A&M responded with a 38-10 win over Abilene Christian over the weekend, though it did take some time to pull away.
With a program that’s in an obvious transition period as it looks for its next coach, there’s not much on the line other than to spoil LSU’s hopes of trying to get back-to-back double digit win seasons. LSU on the other hand, is trying to pick up a third straight win to finish the regular season and in the process, show some of the recruits its still pursuing in this 2024 class why Baton Rouge is the right move.
Despite all of the struggles, Texas A&M rides in with the No. 8 defense in the country despite not being a very opportunistic defense in terms of takeaways. The Aggies are consistent in coverage and have a dominant defensive line that will try and get pressure on Jayden Daniels. Kelly says it’s a prideful group and one where LSU will have to be prepared to slow down.
“You could spend your day thinking about A&M is without a head coach, what’s their mindset, how are they going about this? It really doesn’t matter, it’s about how we prepare because I just believe if we do a great job preparing and we perform at our level, we’re gonna have success. We’ve gotta prepare really well against a good football team,” Kelly said.
“The offense is a little bit different, they tend to be in a little bit more read option kind of mode. But other than that, they’re still an aggressive defense, they still wanna run the football, still wanna be balanced but didn’t see anything too different.”
