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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
Sometimes in life, things are very black and white....etched in stone...
Sometimes in life, things lie in the mirk and mirth of gray.....
....some things are too complex and involve too many different people at one time, it'd never be fully accurate to paint any one person, place or thing all with one shade of black or white....
Sometimes to find the truth, you have to stack it all up and weigh the facts vs the fiction, evidence vs the exaggeration, the verified vs the vilified....
Today we will examine the report by CBS reporter John Talty, alleging a "disconnect" between Coach Kelly and his players.
For his part, Talty is seemingly respected among national circles, yet he's also someone who I don't think has quite a good opinion of LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly if these posts are any indication.
Now we have nothing personal against Talty, but like anyone who's going to claim something about LSU from the outside, LSUOdyssey itself possesses the sources to see if what they're saying is true, but also, potentially, be able to track down who their source is without necessarily trying, just by simply crossing the same lines...it's happened before.
Let's do this together, come along with me as we go through everything we know about Brian Kelly's LSU tenure and all of the allegations of "locker room disconnect" between Kelly and his players.
First, let's examine the quote from the article that everyone should really focus on here: Talty claims to have gathered the information on locker room "disconnect" through his "industry sources familiar with LSU"....
.....who does that refer to?
.....what the hell does that even mean?
He could be using a technique I like to use: When I anticipate some will try to find our source, I make their description vague with a left turn that isn't anything false about the person, but a title or descriptor that would signify only a sliver of their real role.
But I think I know exactly what Mr. Talty was doing instead:
His description of his sources may sound vague, yet to me this tells you exactly who he's talking to.....and it's nobody inside the program....national media lackeys with a very surface level, mainstream knowledge of LSU.
Forget John Talty, though....what do you think about Brian Kelly's handling of his program & players???
We've heard, seen, experienced mostly very positive things firsthand since his hire, and I'm extremely grateful to the Head Coach for approving our credentials, a first for this little independent site, yet I needed to speak to sources from all over the map, anyone and everyone directly involved with Kelly's LSU tenure.....to do our job without bias.
So we dug...and we looked at all the information we've seen, heard or experienced firsthand concerning Coach Kelly & then dove headfirst into the past & present verdicts of many in and around the program.
Over three years since his hiring in late November 2021, I am yet to have a single active player come out and tell us openly that they hate or even don't like Kelly, they hate or even don't enjoy playing for him, that he's a bad guy and didn't care, all the typical hater talking points surrounding the Massachusetts native Head Coach....I haven't heard it.....but what I've found is actually far more interesting and more revealing than anything John Talty "reported".
From what I've gathered, Coach Kelly is very closed off from his team day to day, with most direct 1 v 1 communication handled by position coaches while Kelly speaks mostly to the team as a whole, delivering the big picture messages, post practice examinations...the usual duties of a head coach.....however, outside of gamedays, in-season practice, or spring and fall camps, he is mostly "absent" from the day to day grind, according to our own sources, some with longtime ties throughout the entirety of Kelly's LSU tenure.
As the "CEO of LSU", a title even he's endorsed, and like most coaches in that role, Kelly leaves most of the grunt work to layers of assistants, support staffers, or recruiting staff members while he is cast as the figurehead of the organization......but due to this hands off / overseer role, some sources have alleged he "doesn't have a championship work ethic", as John Talty's article claims.
That's something I've heard rumors and jokes about for a long time, golf trips rather than face time with key recruits, eating out at a fancy restaurant on the night before a major game rather than being with his squad.....however redundant, bitchy, or even downright wrong any of these allegations may be, I can't confirm any of that 100%.
It could just be the leisurely, "elitist" visual appearance of his role that irks some....the political side of Kelly many have pointed at as a worry for LSU? Now rearing its head more often as he faces a Year III with plenty of high expectations??? Every press conference a dance with the devils in the gallery???
The former Notre Dame boss's blunt, cagey personality has always been profoundly misunderstood, twisted, used against him, he's even been called arrogant at times.
Does he make dry, sarcastic, flippant jokes at strange moments, like a bizarre boss on a bender???
Yes, but that's one of the main reasons I like the guy.
Yes, he could come across as arrogant sometimes if people don't understand sarcasm.....or are devoid of any humor, but there's also times I understand he's coming off in unintended ways that only continue to rub some the wrong way.
Still, when he makes jokes about being incapable of remembering walk on players' names, it makes Kelly look like everything he was set up to be....out of touch, possibly arrogant......or maybe, he just can't remember 82+ players names???
See....there can be two sides to nearly all of this situation....
Would every former player of his invite Coach Kelly to their wedding? Maybe, possibly, probably not.
Have many key former players said they loved representing LSU during his short but mostly successful era?
Absolutely.
Another angle that shows the repeated duality of the situation?
The one thing that really has been credible for us and something I've heard from almost every player, parent or family member I've ever spoken to during the Kelly era?
The bizarre fact that Coach Kelly (alleged by many of our sources) doesn't speak to parents or family members of the players. Even while attending family and player events, such as the crawfish boil, Kelly was "guarded by a wall of security like he was Elvis", according to one family member of a superstar Tiger.
I don't know why that's the case, but I've heard that nugget from walk ons, regular starters, and even program legends who've played for him....and it was a "disrespectful" element in their eyes, although not a deal breaker.
Do I think Brian Kelly has a disconnect with his players?
No, not necessarily, but the fact we're even debating any of this or at least examining it over the past week tells me a few things:
A. there's a bloodthirsty media willing to make anything into a story.
B. there will always naturally be at least a few questions of your Head Coach, as well as some people wondering, "how do these kids really feel about playing for him?"
To sum up some opinions & thoughts that crossed over from sources, forming a natural, cohesive narrative, the player-coach relationship can be transactional and still be successful.
It's always been a trade off, coach helping his player reach their goals and vice versa, and in that way, they could dismiss any of the sideshow bullshit and get down to the task at hand.......then again, some kids just won't play for a guy who they're sensing is "disrespecting" or "discounting" them....as you've seen with some of LSU's high profile transfers since late 2021.
Whatever happened, Kelly arrived carrying his S.W.A.T team standards, and many of those initial transfers didn't fit the bill, while some later departures happened due to their desire for more playing time, possible disciplinary reasons for others, but no single LSU Tiger who entered the portal has ever told this author, on or off the record, they left LSU due to Brian Kelly...specifically or even in part as a cause.
Yes, there are always disgruntled former players who say things in the heat of emotion, but we factor all of these biases into the equation.
There's been 7 comeback wins by two different quarterbacks down double digits during Kelly's time at LSU.
It's quite difficult to get a team that supposedly hates you to fight for your program time after time after time like that....which is why this thing doesn't really register as a real story or one LSU fans should take seriously until actual mayhem occurs with evidence to back it up.
For the most part, the Kelly era at LSU is defined by a significant drop in off field drama and shenanigans....a much needed change of culture the Tigers longed for following the firing of Coach Ed Orgeron....and whether you dislike Kelly or not, the ultimate credit for that impressively quick change belongs to him and no one else.
So no, I don't think there's a disconnect.
Regardless, are there things Brian Kelly must do to be more personable and more down to earth with his players, specifically dropping the Wizard of Oz act by making an effort speaking to parents rather than merely Paul Finebaum or Marty Smith?
Yes, he could improve in that department, however it's personal preference, that's how he runs his program, and as someone with more collegiate victories than even Nick Saban, I have no business telling Coach Kelly how to run his show, and so I won't.
On to another issue:
I also do not agree with the assertion Kelly is having trouble relating to his players........remember, this is a guy who's relatable enough to garner three straight top 5 signing classes during his time at LSU, signing kids his Notre Dame haters, or Kelly loyalists alike, never expected him to sign.....
At every turn, Brian Kelly will be questioned, criticized, and thoroughly examined by folks who will not be fair in their headlines or assessments.....most likely, it'll be this way until the day he retires....
....quite simply, no one feels bad for LSU's $100,000,000 Head Coach, and after news of his massive payday & 10 year contract shook college football, Kelly quickly became a marked man, targeted by a media firestorm that continuously exposes their own biased agendas, giving Kelly more direct abuse and disrespect than any active coach I can think of....
Does he deserve it, after continually defying their constant toxic assertions of his "proven failure"???
I was told the man couldn't recruit or develop quarterbacks at his programs.....although he's disproven that nonsense very quickly with a Heisman winner, a 2nd overall pick at QB (Jayden Daniels), the SEC's current leader in passing TDs as a first year starter (Nussmeier)....alongside elite QB recruits Rickie Collins, Colin Hurley and #1 overall 2025 QB Bryce Underwood.
I was told the man couldn't sign 5 stars, yet that lie was proven wrong in a single swift recruiting class within a month of his arrival.
I was told a lot of negative stuff about Brian Kelly that hasn't come to pass.
At the same time, can he do more for his players and their families?
Yes, I think he can do more and must in order to take that next step as a Head Coach and for LSU as a program....creating a sense of community around the locker room that will strengthen & shield his team.
Two final thoughts.
It's strange how at random moments over the Kelly era there have been games that devolve rather quickly into blood spirals.....where LSU lose complete control, often against opponents we're favored to beat....events descending into a chaotic mess....even during near psychotic victories, as we just witnessed vs South Carolina....
LSU usually don't start games in good shape under Kelly....in fact, they're often facing large deficits before fans are fully in their seats; Running the ball has proven difficult, even with an All-American-led line of top 10 picks at each tackle spot;
Across each of his first two seasons, there's been a disastrous phase among the program's worst (Brian Polian's disgusting special teams in year 1, Matt House's cancerous defense in year 2), and the random chaos has cost LSU dearly in high profile games, the tension of expectation & intense media attention supplying sluggish starts. Remarkably, LSU trailed by double digits in at least 14 of Kelly's 30 games at the helm....even including this last Saturdays 17-0 deficit vs South Carolina.
Last thought:
If LSU are 3-0, this Talty story isn't written.....
....winning cures all, especially under Brian Kelly's leadership, a coach who, despite any minor flaws, has led the Tigers into a bold new future full of SEC contention (making the program's second SEC title game in 11 years during just his first season in-conference), a golden era of recruiting & developing elite QBs, amassing a stable of impressive future stars on roster or recruits in almost every single position, plus, the cold hard fact that Kelly has produced strong results as LSU Head Coach in 2 years....
Whatever your thoughts on Coach Kelly might be, it's likely too early to tell whether he'll become a success or failure ultimately at LSU....it's far too early for a man who's shown incredible resilience & fight throughout his career to overcome the odds, attributes his players haved embodied on the field since the first game of his tenure.
Whatever your thoughts on Coach Kelly may be, a single opinion isn't truth, it isn't definitive, it isn't reflective of the overall picture, and it will definitely require more than a few anonymous "industry sources" (who are only "familiar" with LSU) talking about a vague "disconnect" to change how I view the Irish Tiger.
It would largely involve losing games, but mostly, how LSU lose games under Brian Kelly that will decide his fate in Baton Rouge.
For the serious, die hard, real LSU junkies, the sickos like you and I, we share a common belief with our Head Coach:
People can say or write whatever they want, but all that matters is winning...and only winning championships will do in Baton Rouge......for any concerns about Kelly being incapable of fitting in at LSU, whether you can't stand the man or believe he's building a dynasty, no one can argue that Coach Brian Kelly understands the state of Louisiana's winning mantra will ultimately decide his purple & gold fate.
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
©️2024 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
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