Brian Kelly’s feeling the pressure in a buzzing Baton Rouge. Entering his fourth season at LSU, a playoff appearance remains elusive. Last year’s 9-4 record wasn’t enough to satisfy fans in the demanding SEC. With Garrett Nussmeier back for his last season, the Tigers are eager to turn things around. While Nussmeier’s poised for a big year, last year’s offensive line struggles held him back. Raw talent isn’t enough. This unit must improve. But there is another position group, who needs to perform well, or the season could fall apart.

That’s their running back room. And Josh Pate gave a tough reality check. “For all the talk coming out of spring about how they felt good about the offensive line. I’m not so sure that’s maintained itself in the fall camp. But for all that, people feel good about stuff every August that still falls flat in the season. So, I don’t know that that’s going to be the case with LSU, but that’s why I’m leading with the LSU tailback room,” he said on his show. That concern makes sense.

LSU’s running game has struggled to find consistency during an up-and-down 2024 season. The Tigers rank last in the SEC in rushing offense, averaging only 116.4 yards per game, which puts them at 107th nationally. Now, you can understand why their RB room is grabbing negative attention. And if they really want to make an impact this season, a balanced rushing attack is crucial for them. Nussmeier’s future depends on it. Despite these setbacks, he recorded 4,052 yards with 29 touchdowns in 2024.

Yet without proper run support, all the hype will go straight down the drain. And Josh Pate points straight at it, “Caden Durham, he is RB1 on a team that was 107th in rush yards per game last year. I look at Garrett Nussmeier, the quarterback there, and I think in order for him to do what people want him to do. In order for him to be one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC, one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and be in the Heisman race, it actually goes well above and beyond him. They’ve got to be more balanced on offense.”

But LSU football isn’t exactly short on talent at running back. Five-star freshman Harlem Berry, the top-ranked back in his class and No. 18 overall in Rivals’ Industry Rankings, is expected to make an immediate impact in 2025, bringing elite talent to the Tigers. Caden Durham, after exceeding 1,000 total yards as a true freshman in 2024, is going to be LSU’s primary ball carrier this season, demonstrating Brian Kelly’s confidence in young players.

Meanwhile, 2023 blue-chip recruit Kaleb Jackson, despite the team’s rushing woes, ran for 315 yards over two years, averaging 5.3 yards per carry as a freshman. But if they fail to make an impact this season, the path to playoffs looks shaky. And Josh Pate already has an ultimatum for them: “They know that. That makes that position group one of the most important in the country because without that, LSU’s not a contender. Without that, LSU is a three-plus loss team.” But that’s not the only concerning part.

Pressure builds on Brian Kelly

As Brian Kelly heads into 2025 with a 29-11 record at LSU, the question is whether that’s good enough. While impressive at many schools, LSU has national championship aspirations. The 2024 season perfectly illustrated this: losses to Texas A&M, Alabama, and Florida overshadowed a strong six-game win streak. This quickly derailed their playoff hopes.

CBS Sports analyst Danny Kanell has some blunt take over Kelly’s job security, and he straight away puts it out, “If they don’t get to the playoffs, he might not make it after this season.” Kanell stressed that LSU fans expect championships.

Even Bryant McFadden resonated those concerns but also mentioned Brian Kelly’s $95 million contract over 10 years and his recruiting success. “This will be his fourth year at LSU. The last three years, he’s lost the opening game,” McFadden stated. He recognized Kelly’s track record of developing NFL-caliber players while highlighting the discrepancy between LSU’s elite recruiting and their playoff achievements.

Now, they are going to kick off their season against Clemson this year, who were in playoffs last season. So if the offense doesn’t make an impact, there’s a high chance that Brian Kelly gets on the hottest of coaching hot seats.