When it’s Tigers (LSU) vs Tigers (Clemson), college football fans must already be losing their sleep in excitement. Both teams will likely be ranked inside the top 10 to start the year and feature Heisman Trophy hopefuls at the quarterback position. Brian Kelly is armed with Garrett Nussmeier, while Dabo Swinney is ready with Cade Klubnik. However, things might feel heavy on Kelly and the Tigers. Courtesy? Their troubled history. As one of LSU’s transfer players opened the history book and is ready to change the narrative. 

That’s none other than LSU defensive end Jack Pyburn. Skepticism is the watchword for LSU’s season opener at Clemson. Kelly and co. are ranked No. 9 in the preseason polls. They will be facing off against Swinney’s squad, which is ranked No.4 and will be playing on its home turf the night of Aug. 30. Already, rankings are a reminder of how not to take Clemson lightly. As highlighted by Pyburn, what’s motivating Kelly’s squad to push further is their troublesome past. 

On August 22, Pyburn faced the media. Turns out that Kelly’s boys are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to their prep game. As the defensive end shared, “We’re going to have to be at our best, and I hope they’re at their best, too, and I’m looking forward to it. But it is going to be a challenge, but it’s a challenge that we want.” While they run with a positive spirit, it comes with a disclaimer. As Pyburn did not shy away from mentioning their shortfalls, “If you talk about winning a national championship and playing in the playoffs and going on to do special things, you have to start it off the right way.”

After all, Kelly’s LSU is still fighting with its curse of slow starts in key openers. Last season, they faced off against the USC Trojans and suffered a disastrous 27-20 loss. Back in 2023, Kelly and co. failed to keep their boat floating after accepting a 45-24 loss against Florida State. This defeat was a repeat of 2022, when LSU lost against the Seminoles (24-23).  

However, from the dark past, Pyburn and his mates are going to draw their motivation to go full throttle on the National Championship track. As Kelly’s defensive end assured, “That’s something that LSU struggled to do in the past, but this year, we’re looking to right that ship.” Are there reasons for optimism in Baton Rouge?

Yes, there are a few. For instance, even though Clemson returns a pair of preseason All-ACC defensive linemen in TJ Parker and Peter Woods, they were part of a defense that was woeful against the run in 2024. Stats say that Swinney’s boys surrendered 210 or more yards in multiple games last season. Along with this, against the SEC, they had a wobbly streak. Clemson got plastered 34-3 in the season opener against Georgia, and South Carolina handed them a 17-14 loss. So, will Kelly’s pen ink a championship story or dry up before December? 

Brian Kelly’s $18 million roster spend catches side eyes 

No matter how bleak things might look for Swinney’s squad, Kelly has got his own battles to fight. Right now, he has turned into a laughingstock. The reason? LSU has spent a staggering $18 million on its 2025 roster alone. And reports say, it has exceeded the last three years’ budget in just one season. Kelly has spent $11 million in the previous three years combined. Turns out that the head coach can’t compromise on his spending. 

After all, to him, it is the only way to gift LSU with a bolstered roster. After utilizing the winter and spring windows of the portal, Kelly added 18 newcomers via the free agent market. For the ones giving mocking looks to Kelly for his lofty investment, the head coach tried to shut them down.

He said, “Look, the NFL is $280 million a year in salary cap. We’re going to be just about $18 million. There’s a big difference between $280 million and $18 million. So if you can’t see the difference between the two, then you’re not really understanding that what you want to develop your son to be is the best version of himself, so he can get the big money in three years.” While Kelly and co. have too many things on their plate with the $18 million burden, one of LSU’s players has already turned into an attention magnet.

That’s none other than their 5-star freshman DJ Pickett. He has already broken a college football record. On August 14, Logan Graffia shared a clip of Pickett’s practice. The caption read, “Fun fact: DJ Pickett at 6’5 is the tallest CB on record in CFB history.” But what makes him the game-changer in Brian Kelly’s squad? ESPN’s Billy Tucker counts high on the cornerback. He stated, “It will be difficult to keep a 6-foot-5, 195-pound perimeter defender with 10.6 100-meter speed off the field in Baton Rouge. Though Pickett is competing against experienced defensive backs for meaningful snaps, none possesses his rare frame, range, and ball skills.” Behind Jack Pyburn’s words may lie Pickett’s potential, giving LSU a reason to believe.