LSU's Brian Kelly is the NCAA college football coach of the year, and I’m not sure it’s that close.
We really don't have to wait until the end of the season to pick the winner here. The best coach in the land is coach Kelly. Period. End of discussion.
When Kelly took over this program in January he had all of 39 scholarship players. There were big transfers. There were even bigger questions.
Through the transfer portal, savvy recruiting and development he now has the Bayou Bengals in control of the SEC west and their own destiny down the stretch with a 7-2 record.
This all has come following a Week 1 disappointment and loss to a highly average Florida State squad, and a blowout loss at the hands of Tennessee. Kelly has guided the 2022 Tigers on one of the most impressive runs you’ll ever see.
Oh, and did I mention they found a way to beat No. 6 Alabama!? Kelly has onions of steel. Going for 2 and the 32-31 win in overtime is all the evidence you need. That takes guts. Gone are the haters mocking his attempted southern accent or dance moves with potential recruits.
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Kelly and the Tigers are no joke with three games remaining. Two of those games come against SEC foes Arkansas and Texas A&M, with a game against UAB sandwiched in between. The Aggies were the team ranked No. 6 in the country in the preseason, but they are riding a five-game losing skid and have been pretty unremarkable. It’s the type of slide many would’ve predicted for LSU, who has now risen to No. 7 in the AP rankings.
Meanwhile the Razorbacks just lost to Liberty and are 5-4 on the season.
LSU has a real and excellent chance to clinch a spot in the SEC Championship, and a real shot to fight into the College Football Playoff. Any team that can say that at all this late in the season has had a wildly successful year.
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If you asked Tigers fans prior to the season if they’d have taken 10 wins, they not only would’ve said yes, they’d have partied into the wee hours of the morning.
If the Tigers finish this off, Kelly is the hands-down coach of the year in college football. Honestly, he probably is even if they don’t. He’s been that good, and Tigers fans won’t forget it.
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