Can a Yankee like Brian Kelly recruit the South? You're damned right he can

A year ago, then-new LSU head football coach Brian Kelly had less than two weeks on the job before the early signing period.

It was like speed dating as he signed 13 freshmen in the early signing period. In the February “late” signing day, he signed two more freshmen including flipping Texas A&M linebacker commit Harold Perkins Jr.

For someone who values establishing relationships with recruits and their families through months and years of conversations, Kelly’s first early signing day was a blur.

“There were a couple of the freshmen last year I didn't get a chance to meet the parents until they came on campus when they dropped their sons off (to start class),” Kelly said Wednesday when he announced the signing of 25 2023 freshmen on the first day of the early signing period that ends Friday. “That's not the way to recruit obviously, but it was what it was.”

And what did Kelly really have to sell to LSU recruits last season besides his track record at Notre Dame? No one knew how he would translate to the South and adapt to the SEC, winners of 12 of the last 16 national championships.

As it turns out, nine wins with an Alabama-Auburn-Florida sweep for the fifth time in LSU history, an SEC Western Division title and league championship game appearance and a Citrus Bowl invite is understood by any prospective recruits whether they say y’all, you guys or youse guys.

If those weren’t enough selling points for Kelly as he chased his second recruiting class, LSU had three first-team Freshman All-Americans and a second teamer.

Nope, he’s not afraid to start a freshman. Or two. Or three. In fact, he seeks signees who can challenge for playing time in year one.

All those factors – plus Kelly’s continuous emphasis of players graduating with diplomas in hand – are big reasons while the Tigers have initially increased their amount of freshmen signees by 10 and dramatically raised the talent level by tripling (from 6 to 18) the amount of 4-star signees from the 2022 class.

But Kelly, who hasn’t yet closed the books on this 2023 class that will include maybe one or two more freshmen and 8 to 10 transfers (which will be announced Friday), feels he’s recruited this group of newbies in a manner to which he’s accustomed.

“This recruiting has been great in the sense that they've (the recruits) been over my home, I've been in their home,” Kelly said. “They've been on campus several times. So, you get a connection.

“When we're talking about these players, sure could they transfer. But you feel so much more confident that you've made the right choices and they make the right choices that LSU is the right place for him and they’re not here under false pretenses or a quick sell or that you're selling a used car to them and you're really selling the right vision for him as to why they're here.”

Kelly’s plan for athletes using their summers wisely to accelerate progress towards earning degrees in three years has been received well by the parents of recruits.

“I think everybody is of the same opinion that if after your third season of competition you're a first-round draft pick,” Kelly said, “we're not gonna say `Hey, come back and get your degree.’

“But during that time (before turning pro), let's do everything possible to get to that degree. Let's use the summer. Let's use the time that we have here between the (fall and winter) semesters to add on to it. Let's not use that time to catch up or because we were a poor student that we've got to make up.

“That's been a change here. We're rewarding those guys so they can get closer to their degree. So, when they walk out of here after three years, you've got a degree.”

The success of the Tigers’ freshmen All-Americans – first-teamers offensive tackle Will Campbell and Emery Jones and linebacker Perkins and second-teamer tight end Mason Taylor –- has given Kelly and his staff the courage to start freshmen.

“We saw that this year that we can play some freshmen and compete at the highest level,” Kelly said. “That confidence level obviously has allowed us to look at freshmen and say, `We can play freshmen.'

"Do we want to have freshmen across the board? Probably not. We would like to be a little bit more veteran. There are some position groups that we need to help through the transfer portal with more veteran players.”

Kelly’s early signing period took dead aim at continuing to build a physical, athletic offensive line.

He signed four freshmen offensive linemen (as he did in his first recruiting class), led by Monroe Neville’s Lance Heard, the only 5-star rated signee in this 2023 class.

He signed three tight ends, including Fort Worth (Texas) Crowley star Ka’Morreun Pimpton, of which Kelly said, “I don't know that I've had somebody with his raw athletic ability.”

He signed four wide receivers, topped by Baton Rouge Catholic’s Shelton Sampson Jr. and Miami Gulliver Prep’s Jalen Brown.

He signed two of the best Louisiana running backs, including Farmerville Union Parish stud Trey Holly, a 5-7 scooter who is the state’s all-time leading rusher.

There were also some defensive finds for Kelly, such as defensive end Jaxon Howard who was rated the No. 1 player in Minnesota.

But Kelly didn’t hide the fact there is still recruiting work left to be done in the defensive backfield and defensive line, despite signing three cornerbacks, two safeties and two defensive ends Wednesday.

Then on Friday, it’s expected through a press release LSU will announce the signing of at least four transfers (all from Power 5 Conference programs) led by Alabama freshman wide receiver Aaron Anderson of New Orleans’ Edna Karr. He was rated as a five-star out of Louisiana last year.

After LSU’s Jan. 2 appearance vs. Purdue in the Citrus Bowl, Kelly said he and his staff will put the icing on the 2023 recruiting class which will already have almost 25 early enrollees (including 15 freshmen) starting school and participating in winter and spring workouts.

Not bad for a damned Yankee.