For what I believe is our 8th straight year, Zach Junda from And The Valley Shook joins us once again to give his honest and often “negatiger” opinions about the LSU football team. And boy, with the Tigers
firing Brian Kelly just a week ago and the whole program in turmoil, we had some great answers this time around.
- Let’s get this out of the way right from the start: In your highly professional opinion, was it the right move to fire Brian Kelly last week?
If it was just simply because of the results on the field, then I’d say probably not? It’s not like LSU is 1-7, they’re 5-3 with two losses coming, at the time, on the road to top-10 opponents by a combined 12 points (ignoring the fact that those two opponents were Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, of course). Getting waxed at home by a top-3 A&M team and having Aggy fans take over Tiger Stadium wasn’t a great look either But it’s deeper than that.
It’s the fact that LSU invested $18 million into this year’s roster, and the ROI is going to amount to, I don’t know, the Gator Bowl. It’s the fact that Brian Kelly lost both the locker room and, more importantly, the people that cut the checks. When it was over for Les Miles, people could push back and say “well he’s been here for a while, let’s give him a chance.” When it was over for Ed Orgeron, people could say “well he’s one of us, let’s give him a chance.” Brian Kelly was neither of those things; instead he was the unlikable Yankee outsider who pissed away a championship offense in ‘23 with Jayden Daniels’ Heisman season, and now he wasted what was billed to us as a championship roster. That was two times too many, and being as unlikable as he is there wasn’t anyone willing to go to bat for him.
- Regardless, what’s done is done. Frank Wilson is now the interim coach. Oftentimes we see talented teams fire a dysfunctional coach and then a guy with a lot of personality takes over as interim and the team winds up playing much better through the end of the season. Is Wilson that kind of guy for LSU?
He is, and he was the only choice on staff to handle this interim role. Frank Wilson is New Orleans royalty and the players absolutely love the man. He’s also been a head coach before, coaching at both McNeese State and UTSA. But you want to know the biggest reason why Frank Wilson is the man for the interim job? Look at LSU’s 2026 recruiting class. You know what you haven’t seen in the 10 days or so since Brian Kelly was fired? LSU hasn’t had a single player decommit–not yet at least–and they’ve actually added to their class, by flipping a three-star wide receiver from Louisiana. That’s really unusual in any era of college football, let alone this one we’re currently in, and it’s all a testament to Frank Wilson.
- Ok, let’s talk players a little. Garrett Nussmeier now has almost three seasons of looking like he’s going to be the guy, but not quite getting there. Is there still more there that Nuss just hasn’t had the right circumstances to reach his potential? Or is he just who he is at this point?
I think there’s more to Garrett Nussmeier that, unfortunately, won’t ever be realized at LSU. He has been done absolutely no favors by the worst offensive line in the Power 4 and his now-fired offensive coordinator/QB coach Joe Sloan. LSU makes absolutely no attempt to run the ball, nor do they attempt to work the middle of the field in the passing game.
There’s also the fact that Nussmeier is clearly physically compromised. LSU spent the better part of September insisting he was fine until he looked so bad in the Florida game that they finally had to say “okay, fine he’s got a torso (torseaux?) strain.” It hasn’t gotten better either, though Brian Kelly swore he was on the other side of the injury, and every time Nussmeier gets knocked down it looks like he’s down for the count. I’ve long said that Garrett Nussmeier’s NFL comp is Brett Favre: he’ll take risks but has an absolute cannon for an arm that allows him to get away with some throws. This year he’s got no zip on the ball and he’s constantly underthrowing receivers. When have you ever been able to say that about Nussmeier?
- For the first time in what feels like many, many years, none of LSU’s receivers or running backs are notable household names. Alabama fans will recognize Aaron Anderson because he played for us, but outside of that, nobody has much recognition. Are there any of these guys that are either being undervalued by the media, or at least look like they could be developing into a future star?
It takes a village to produce a passing offense this woeful. Garrett Nussmeier has a dead arm; Joe Sloan has no feel for playcalling; the offensive line can’t keep Nuss up long enough for receivers to get down field; and this group of receivers are all really good No. 2 or No. 3 options, but there’s not a Beckham/Landry/Chase/Jefferson/Nabers/Thomas among them. If I had to pick someone that had a chance to be the next guy, I’d say it’s redshirt sophomore Kyle Parker. 12 looks a little bit different when the ball ends up in his hands.
Trey’Dez Green is a weapon at tight end the likes of which I can’t ever remember LSU having. “Even when he’s covered he’s open” is how LSU likes to describe him. The 6’7” specimen was the No. 1 tight end coming out of high school in 2024 and with his basketball background–he even played sparingly for Matt McMahon’s squad last season–he’ll catch basically any jump ball thrown his way in the red zone. If he can put it all together he could be a Tony Gonzales, Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham type of tight end at the next level. Those are lofty expectations, but that’s how tantalizing the talent is.
- Blake Baker is an exceptional defensive coordinator, and despite all of their offensive struggles this year, the LSU defense is only giving up 19 points per game. However, they did just give up 49 to Texas A&M. Did the Aggies expose something that’s been lurking all season? Or was it more just a one-off performance with the whole team going into quit mode?
LSU’s bugaboo the past couple of years has been their inability to contain running quarterbacks. Remember what Jalen Milroe did to LSU in ‘23 and ‘24? It’s kind of like that. Marcel Reed ran for 100 yards, Diego Pavia ran for 86, and Trinidad Chambliss “only” ran for 71. Of course, not having Whit Weeks the past two weeks hasn’t helped either, but for all the resources invested into this LSU defense, the availability of one linebacker–even as great as Weeks–shouldn’t make the whole unit disintegrate.
- With your knowledge of Alabama, what specific matchup are you most worried about this week, and which matchup do you think the Tigers have the ability to exploit?
I’m worried about any team that fields a D1 defensive line going up against LSU’s offensive line.
- Personally, I’m terrified of an LSU squad with no film on tendencies and a possibly rejuvenated attitude. How much hope are you holding on to that the Tigers spring an upset this week?
Yeah I mean anyone who has watched LSU play this year would probably say these Tigers haven’t played their absolute best, most complimentary game yet. And even though this season hasn’t played out the way anyone here would have hoped, this is still a really talented roster that will likely have double digit players drafted from it come April and, like you said, is starting all over. Throw everything you’ve seen in September and October out the window, because this is a brand new team with nothing to lose, playing for a coach they all love. I’m not saying it will happen, and it probably won’t happen, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they pull it off.
- Who wins the SEC?
Is this some kind of trick to make me say something nice about you? Because it won’t work…okay it might work. I’ll have to see Ole Miss make it to Atlanta before I believe it; Georgia keeps playing with fire but they have Miss State and a home date with Texas left on their SEC schedule. A&M really impressed me. They’ve got some serious dudes along both lines of scrimmage, and it looks like all they’ll need to do is split road games against Mizzou and Texas to punch a ticket to Atlanta. I’ll say Alabama plays either A&M or Georgia (I’m not sure how the tiebreaker would work) and Bama wins the league because they have the best quarterback.
- Pretend you’re a coach coming in for an interview with the Tigers and considering taking the job. Which 6 players on the roster give you the most hope for the future that you want to build your program around (and, of course, make sure they don’t transfer away)?
The foundation of my future LSU roster would consist of Trey’Dez Green, true freshman corner DJ Pickett (wow what a shock Corey Raymond comes back and suddenly LSU gets elite DB talent), true freshman running back Harlem Berry (feed 22), sophomore defensive tackle Dom McKinley (need to someone who can disrupt the middle), and I’m gonna try like hell to get TaMarcus Cooley and Whit Weeks back for another year; both are draft eligible so it might be tough to talk them into returning for a fresh start, but if I can shape reality however I please then I want those two back.
- It’s early, but who do you want to be LSU’s next head coach? (this can be as reasonable or unreasonable as you want it to be). And, as a follow up, for your money, who do you think LSU winds up hiring?
Okay so let’s get this out the way…HE isn’t coming back. I know that. You know that. We all know that. But I just want you to imagine it’s November 2026. Alabama’s rolling into Baton Rouge and who do they see standing on the opposing sideline wearing that purple and gold polo? HIM. I’m cackling at the thought of it.
But that’s not going to happen so I need to let that go. I really don’t think there’s a bad outcome. People are going to want the LSU job, even if our loudmouthed governor fancies himself as the second coming of Huey Long.
I would absolutely love Brent Key or Alex Golesh. I think those are grand slam hires. I think Tulane’s current and present coaches, Willie Fritz and Jon Sumrall, would also be excellent. Maybe not grand slams, but definitely a bases-clearing double.
If you wanted to roll the dice, you could look to former LSU passing game coordinator Joe Brady, who is the current OC with the Buffalo Bills, and former LSU linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, the current defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. Neither have been a head coach before, and LSU’s probably not the place to make your head coaching debut, but I think a boom is more likely than a bust if either accepted the job, especially if it’s Sheppard. People have complained that LSU just doesn’t feel like LSU anymore, and you know how you fix that? Go bring home a former LSU linebacker that was on that 2007 national championship team, and see if the culture doesn’t flip overnight.
