Five Bold Predictions for LSU Football Ahead of the 2024 Season

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers continue inching closer to the season opener, program trending in right direction.

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers are less than two weeks away from lacing up their cleats in Las Vegas to take on the USC Trojans.

Redshirt-junior Garrett Nussmeier looks to carry the torch at quarterback this season after sitting back and learning from Jayden Daniels over the last two seasons.

With the "keys to the car" in 2024, the expectations remain high for the first-year starter.

The Tigers' 2024 schedule is "a gauntlet" once again. How will the Tigers respond? Can the defense take that next step? How will Nussmeier perform?

Five Bold Predictions:

No. 1: Garrett Nussmeier Eclipses 4,000 Passing Yards, 35 Touchdowns in 2024

LSU redshirt-junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier officially has the "keys to the car" heading into the 2024 season after waiting patiently for his turn to lead the program.

Now, all eyes will be on the veteran signal-caller to carry the momentum from 2023 where LSU boasted the nation's No. 1 offense.

“I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to step into some pretty tough situations,” Nussmeier said. “I think they’ve only made me better as a player. Now getting the experience and the preparation, as well as the starter, I think it will only help even more. That experience at Alabama, the SEC Championship against Georgia, the end of the game against Auburn. I’ve been thrown into some tough situations but it’s only made me better and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. And even the times when I failed, just learning from them, and hopefully just continuing as always to just try and push better.”

We've seen a small sample size during his time in Baton Rouge, but immediate attention goes back to his ReliaQuest Bowl matchup against the Wisconsin Badgers where he passed for nearly 400 yards and three touchdowns while leading a game-winning drive.

That's what Nussmeier is capable of.

Over 13 games in 2024, Nussmeier has the intangibles and offensive weapons to toss for 315 yards per game and nearly three touchdowns a night. Not to mention an experienced offensive line that should give him time in the pocket for his downfield weapons to get open.

A wide receiver room headlined by Kyren Lacy, CJ Daniels and Chris Hilton, Nussmeier has an arsenal to work with that should comfortably get him over 3,500 yards on the year, but the goal should be to toss for over 4,000 yards on the season in total.

No. 2: The Defense Takes That Step

It's easy to sit back and say: "Well, can it get any worse?" when referring to LSU's defense after an abysmal 2023 season under defensive coordinator Matt House.

A program that finished in the bottom half of America on the defensive side of the ball, it halted the Tigers from any postseason opportunities.

Now, Blake Baker is handling duties as the defensive coordinator with the Bayou Bengals beginning to hit their stride during fall camp.

There are serviceable pieces to work with. The main concerns remain in the secondary and up front at defensive line, but there are players to keep tabs on.

The Secondary:

The LSU secondary has been incredibly disappointing over the last few seasons, but after making a few tweaks in the defensive backfield, the Tigers are eying growth here.

A player that has the chance to be impactful will be Texas A&M transfer Jardin Gilbert after making his way back to Louisiana.

The Bayou State native will lace up his cleats for the hometown program in 2024 with an opportunity to take on starting safety duties for LSU.

Kelly's program will have an upgrade at safety this season with Gilbert in the mix as he continues remaining consistent during Fall Camp.

After Major Burns and Andre Sam struggled in 2023, it's imperative Gilbert and others provide the Tigers with a much needed spark in the secondary.

Burns will handle reps at the STAR position in 2024 under Blake Baker's new scheme.

With a first team defensive backfield during camp of Ashton Stamps and Sage Ryan at cornerback with Jardin Gilbert and Jordan Allen at safety, there's room for growth in 2024.

This is an area that certainly has an opportunity to keep its head above water in 2024.

The Defensive Line:

The lack of depth up front stole headlines during LSU's Spring Camp with only a handful of scholarship players on the roster.

Now, after retooling the position group, defensive line coach Bo Davis has a few weapons to work with leading up to the 2024 season.

Headlined by five-star freshman Dominick McKinley, the defensive line room will be one to monitor with the season opener near.

Jacobian Guillory can be penciled in as a starter, but who takes reps alongside him will be a piece to keep tabs on. Will it be McKinley? Or will transfer additions Jay'Viar Suggs (Grand Valley State) and Gio Paez (Wisconsin) step up?

All signs point to Paez as he continues taking first-team reps alongside Guillory during Fall Camp. He's a veteran who has the experience this program is looking for, but consistency will be his best friend, but others continue emerging.

McKinley... The freshman phenom hovered around the 275-285 pound range during his senior year of high school with Acadiana (La.), but has bulked up significantly this offseason. McKinley is now listed at 6-foot-6, 316 pounds heading into his first season with the Bayou Bengals. He's worked alongside Davis after arriving as a summer enrollee and has the chance to take significant snaps in 2024. Will the program take time to let him develop or throw him into the fire early as a true freshman?

Suggs... The 6-foot-3, 282-pounder tallied 21 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 5 pass breakups and 1 forced fumble in 2022 with GVSU. The following season in 2023, Suggs remained consistent after logging 21 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks with 4 pass breakups and a forced fumble. Suggs has been a consistent contributor at the Division II level, but he's clearly ready to take it up a notch at a Power Four school. How will Davis and Co. utilize the impactful transfer?

Paez... Paez is from Los Angeles, California and redshirted his first season with the Badgers. In year two, he played in just one game, but it counted as the COVID season in 2020. Over the last three seasons, he’s played 32 games and logged 36 tackles. A small contributor with Wisconsin, it'll be intriguing to see his growth now that he's in Baton Rouge. Can he hit his stride and become a starter alongside Guillory?

No. 3: Ashton Stamps Records Four Interceptions

LSU cornerback Ashton Stamps has cemented his status as a starter for the 2024 season as he continues his meteoric rise this offseason.

The Louisiana native has carved out an impactful role in Baton Rouge with the LSU defense beginning to hit its stride during Fall Camp.

He's built up his body, polished his technique and continued his workhorse mentality in order to climb up the depth chart to first-team duties.

Now, it's about carrying the momentum in to the 2024 season, but he'll have a new resource in his toolbox: Corey Raymond.

One of the architects to "DBU" in Death Valley, Raymond is back in Baton Rouge as the cornerbacks coach for the Tigers.

He's played a pivotal role for the program since his arrival with his presence being felt both on and off the field.

Stamps credits his jump this offseason due to his work ethic, but also to Raymond's guidance both on and off the gridiron.

"It's definitely from Coach Raymond. He's sent [Derek] Stingley, [Cordale] Flott, [Kristian] Fulton in the league. So just being able to pick up the on things that he may have seen in them, he's feeding that to us and it's really helped," Stamps said.

"He's tough on us. It's what I think we were missing last year. He's a tough coach. He's not there to be your friend and he's always going to be tough on you."

Now, it's about carrying the offseason momentum into the season. Four interceptions seems within reach.

A season ago, Andre Sam led the Tigers in interceptions with three and the team as a whole tallied just 10 picks on the season. Stamps has a chance to make an impact and haul in four of his own.

No. 4: Kaleb Jackson Eclipses 700 Rushing Yards

Last season, it was Jayden Daniels and Logan Diggs who carried the weight of the rushing attack with Daniels going for over 1,100 yards while Diggs tallied 653 yards of his own.

In 2024, someone will need to take that next step and carry the load on the ground. It'll be a one-two punch of Josh Williams and Kaleb Jackson, but it's certainly up for the taking when it comes to Jackson.

He has all the intangibles to come in and steal the show for the program and become the next great running back out of Baton Rouge.

700 yards is within reach ahead of the 2024 season.

Jackson, the No. 1 running back in Louisiana coming out of high school in 2023, took impactful reps as a true freshman, but his second season with the Tigers has high expections.

He's currently listed at 6-foot, 235 pounds after adding 35 pounds to his frame since arriving on campus during his freshman campaign.

Jackson has lived in the weight room and it's shown. After coming out of high school hovering around the 200-pound range, LSU has updated the rosters where he sits at 235 pounds.

He has the ability to power through defenders while also showing finesse to get past opponents; adding a different element to the LSU running back room.

No. 5: Zavion Thomas Earns All-SEC Honors

Mississippi State transfer Zavion Thomas will be the go-to guy as a return specialist in 2024 for the Bayou Bengals.

It's no secret LSU has struggled on special teams during Kelly's tenure in Baton Rouge, but with Thomas in the mix, it should take weight off of his shoulders.

Sure, All-SEC honors should be in the cards for Thomas granted he was a Preseason All-SEC selection, but we've seen how this scenario unfolds already. Alabama transfer Aaron Anderson was expected to fill a similar role for the Tigers in 2023.

That didn't go as planned last season.

Now, it's believed that Thomas can exceed expectations and thrive as both a return man and wide receiver for the Tigers in 2024 on his way to earning All-Conference honors.

More LSU News:

Fall Camp Week 3 Preview: Storylines, Position Battles and Depth Chart Predictions

LSU Inching Towards No. 1 Recruiting Class in America

The Eye-Catchers: Who's Standing Out During Fall Camp?

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