10 takeaways from LSU’s 2023 football season
LSU’s 2023 football season is in the books.
For the second year in a row, the Tigers have notched double-digit wins under Brian Kelly. It’s the first time LSU’s accomplished that feat since doing it in 2018 and 2019. Before that, you’d have to go back a decade, to 2012 and 2013.
And while reaching that 10-win mark is significant, LSU left something to be desired this year after beginning the year ranked No. 5. There are a lot of questions surrounding the program as Kelly enters year three, but there’s a lot to be optimistic about too.
Here are 10 takeaways from LSU’s season as we enter the new year.
Jayden Daniels exceeded all expectations
Jayden Daniels was LSU this year.
After the hype train built leading into the year, Daniels exceeded all expectations. We thought he was going to take a jump, but not many predicted he’d post one of the better statistical campaigns the sport has ever seen.
With a struggling defense, Daniels put LSU on his back. He willed LSU to a win on the road against a Missouri team that would go on to finish the year ranked in the top 10.
In November, he took over a shootout against Florida and accounted for over 600 yards of total offense before leading a fourth-quarter comeback against Texas A&M two weeks later.
Daniels was the key piece of Kelly’s rebuild and LSU doesn’t win 20 games the last two years without him.
Lackluster defense
If Daniels was the main story on the good end of things, a struggling defense leads the list of negatives.
After ranking as a top 20 unit in 2022, nothing defensive coordinator Matt House did worked in 2023.
It was evident from the first game, when the defense fell apart in the second half against Florida State and the staff failed to make the most of star linebacker Harold Perkins.
And while House eventually found a better role for Perkins, LSU was still hopeless across the board.
A plethora of transfer corners didn’t pan out. Zy Alexander and JK Johnson were hurt, and Denver Harris and Duce Chestnut are already back in the transfer portal, but we’ll circle back to the secondary later.
On the whole, this was a group that sat 119th in points per drive allowed and 99th in yards per play — far below the standard set at LSU over the years.
The offensive line is elite
The offensive line was among the best in the country and probably the best in the SEC.
LSU ranked top 10 in both PFF pass blocking grade and run blocking grade, making it one of just three FBS offensive lines to do so. Brad Davis’ unit led the country in offensive line yards and sat seventh in pass-blocking efficiency.
This was the best offensive line LSU put out there in some time and with Will Campbell and Emery Jones returning along with a handful of blue-chip recruits, its in a good spot for years to come.
This is why Davis was brought to LSU and in 2023 he put a finished product on display.
Malik Nabers leading the country in receiving yards
With Washington advancing to the national championship game, its likely Rome Odunze will end up the nation’s leading receiver, but Nabers was the most productive receiver in the country this year.
Nabers was the only receiver in the country to rank top 10 in catches, yards, and touchdowns. He was efficient too and one of just three receivers to average over 17 yards per catch while catching 80+ passes.
Nabers 34 catches of 20+ yards and his 17+ catches of 30+ yards both led the FBS.
In the process, he became the leading receiver in program history. That says a lot at a place like LSU that’s produced the likes of Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase and Odell Beckham Jr.
The emergence of Brian Thomas Jr.
We’ll stick with another wide receiver here.
Nabers was expected to have a big year after leading the SEC in catches last year and surpassing 1,000 yards. The question was whether or not Brian Thomas Jr. could emerge as a threat opposite Nabers.
The answer: an emphatic yes.
Thomas led the nation with 17 touchdown catches, which included two pivotal plays in the bowl game. He caught 68 passes for 1,177 yards and was a big play threat, averaging 17.3 yards per catch.
Thomas played his way into the first-round pick conversation despite this being a loaded receiver class.
Big game struggles
Again, double-digit wins isn’t something to sneeze at, but LSU left a lot on the table when it came to its biggest games.
LSU’s three toughest opponents were Florida State, Ole Miss and Alabama. All games were away from home and the Tigers went 0-3.
LSU was in a good spot against Florida State at halftime but crumbled in the second half. Against Ole Miss, a slow start put LSU behind the eight ball early before the defense blew it late in the fourth.
Against Alabama, the Tigers were competitive but Alabama seized the momentum late and Daniels left the game with an injury.
Given LSU did beat Missouri, a win that looks even better now, just one win against those three top teams would have put LSU in a New Year’s Six bowl.
Transfer inconsistency
A year after Kelly’s inaugural transfer class brought in Daniels and Mekhi Wingo, along with consistent defensive backs like Mekhi Garner, Joe Foucha and Jarrick Bernard-Converse, this round of transfers was a different story.
Attempting to rebuild the secondary again, LSU brought in a handful of corners that arrived with high expectations. Denver Harris and Duce Chestnut both showed a lot of promise at Texas A&M and Syracuse and had chances to make strides at LSU, but Chestnut struggled and eventually ended up away from the team.
Harris was in and out of the lineup after some early discipline issues and never settled in.
At linebacker, Omar Speights arrived with high expectations after a standout career at Oregon State, but he struggled along with the entire linebacking group.
LSU needed some of these transfers to be game-changers on defense in the same way Wingo emerged a year ago, but it just never happened.
Coordinator question marks
LSU enters 2024 with questions at both coordinator spots.
On the offensive side, Mike Denbrock led the best unit in the country, but now he’s off to Notre Dame. Joe Sloan and Cortez Hankton handled the interim duties in the bowl game, but it’s unclear if they’re in line for the full time job, though Kelly did mention he’d explore that option.
On the defensive side, Matt House has a lot to prove. As far as we know, he’s still in his position and LSU hasn’t made a change despite some coordinator shuffling around the country.
Kelly has a strong history of hiring defensive coordinators, but House hasn’t panned out thus far. If he’s calling the plays again next year, LSU’s defense needs to make more than just a marginal jump for fans to be impressed with House.
LSU is well positioned with Garrett Nussmeier
With Daniels moving on, the offense was Garrett Nussmeier’s in the bowl game.
The expectations for Nussmeier were high. Nussmeier’s shown plenty of flashes when he’s been given the chance his first three years in Baton Rouge and the hype only built after he elected to stay, despite Daniels holding on to QB1.
If Nussmeier’s performance against Wisconsin was any indication, LSU’s in a good spot. According to PFF, Nussmeier made five big time throws, which ranks third in bowl season. He threw for 395 yards while averaging nearly nine yards per attempt.
Most impressively, he was at his best when it mattered the most, leading a 98-yard go-ahead touchdown drive.
He’ll be a redshirt senior in 2024, giving him experience to pair with his raw talent. If LSU can figure out how to replace Nabers and Thomas at wide receiver, this offense will be one of the nation’s best with Nussmeier at the helm.
LSU is stable for now
Kelly took over a program in rough shape.
After winning a national title in 2019, Ed Orgeron lost control of his program and the pandemic stunted LSU’s momentum. LSU won just 11 games in 2020 and 2021 and following Orgeron’s departure, the roster was depleted.
Kelly added key transfers in 2022 and made the most of the talent that stuck around. That got LSU back to a stable position.
In 2022, LSU beat Alabama and won the SEC West. In 2023, the Tigers lost those big games but can still hang their hat on a Heisman-winning quarterback and 10 wins.
That gives Kelly wins through his first two years, which is rare for a coach taking over an SEC program with 11 wins the previous two years.
With Daniels gone, the question becomes how LSU can continue that stability while also making the jump to a playoff contender.
But for now, LSU’s in a “good enough” spot.
