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The LSU Tigers had dreams of becoming one of the elite teams in the nation this year and earning a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff. However, the reality of the situation is that the season has turned sour for head coach Brian Kelly's team, and their 27-16 loss to Florida ensures that the season has turned into something of a nightmare.
The Tigers fell to 6-4 on the season and they are just 3-3 in the Southeastern Conference. Their fourth loss of the season means that Kelly's streak of seasons with 10 or more wins has officially come to an end at seven. LSU has two more regular season games remaining against Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.
Even if they win both of those games and one more bowl game, the Tigers would be left with 9 victories. The team's passionate fans are extremely upset with the way Louisiana State has played this year and Kelly is getting much of the blame.
LSU fans are expected to make their feelings known without holding back on social media, but former Tigers star and current Saints defensive back Tyrann Mathieu offered his response after he saw his former team lose it's third game in a row.
Mathieu did not criticize Kelly or even mention his name. He simply stated his intentions with his statement on X. “I cannot wait to get to Baton Rouge and coach!”
Mathieu left a hard-hitting legacy at LSU
Mathieu has been a star in the NFL since his rookie season of 2013. He has played with four teams since being drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, including the Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs and the Saints. He is a three-time All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowler as well as a member of the NFL's All-2010's team.
Mathieu, known by his unique nickname of the Honey Badger, first came into prominence during his two-year career with the Tigers in 2010 and 2011. He was an All-American performer who was known for his hard hitting. He had 133 tackles, 11 forced fumbles and 8 fumble recoveries during his time in Baton Rouge.
The thrust of Mathieu suggesting that he would like to coach at LSU means there is significant pressure on Kelly. The Tigers hired him away from Notre Dame after the 2021 season when he was 11-1 with the Fighting Irish. Since getting hired by LSU, Kelly and his team had a 10-4 season in 2022 and a 10-3 mark in '23 before struggling this year.
Whether Mathieu would be a serious candidate for the job is not known, but it is clear that many fans and influential LSU supporters have not gotten the results they wanted to see since the Kelly hiring. It seems quite likely that the pressure on the football coach will only get ratcheted up going forward.
