LSU Football: Brian Kelly Provides Final Updates, RB Logan Diggs Doubtful

Diggs continues nursing a shoulder injury that held him out of last weekend's contest, Kelly provides final updates.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly met with the media one final time before the Tigers lace up their cleats in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night against Georgia State.

Kelly harped on signal-caller Jayden Daniels' success, an update on Logan Diggs' status and more.

A dive into what Kelly had to say on Thursday:

Q: What is the status of Logan Diggs for this game?

Kelly: "I would say he's doubtful."

Q: How has Jayden Daniels handled some of the extra attention that’s come on to him with any of this Heisman hype and all that?

Kelly: “I think he’s had a lot of attention all year. We’ve had a Amazon crew in here most of the year doing a documentary. So we’ve had cameras around most of the year. He’s used to the distractions. He does a great job of keeping them at bay. So I think he’s done a great job, really, all year in terms of making the important things important and preparing himself. As I mentioned, he’s in here early in the morning, gets his work done and and then you know when he gets the practice he’s locked in. He’s he’s been he’s been really professional.”

Q: How does he separate from Michael Penix and Bo Nix in the Heisman race?

Kelly: “You first of all look at what his versatility is. Certainly, nobody runs the way he can. His ability to throw the ball down the field, big plays. Nobody is close to him in terms of 20+ yards or more in terms of big plays. He’s a guy that takes the energy out of the opposition in the way that he plays at that quarterback position.

“He changes the momentum in the game. If there’s momentum against you, he brings it right back to you with striking for big plays. That’s the mark of a game-changer. So all those guys are great players. They really are and they’re having terrific seasons, but nobody single-handedly has been as electric and has been the kind of game-changer that he has been.”

Q: Malik Nabers is within striking distance of LSU’s all-time receiving yards record here for the program. What do you think that would mean for you guys as a program that you’re trying to build here, if he was able to kind of set that in the next couple weeks?

Kelly: “Well, I think all those records are certainly pieces that go to building the consistency that you’re looking for in your program. And certainly what we’re looking for is, at LSU, a prolific offense, one that can be a standard in which we can recruit to. So, those are important pieces. I wouldn’t say they’re the most important things in our program, but they certainly help get the attention of the group that we’re recruiting.

“So, I think we’ve made a dent in the, I’d say, the country relative to the kind of offense that we’re running and the recruiting has followed. I think we’ve made an important in-road in these last couple years in terms of what we’re doing.”

Q: With it being late in the season, I’m just curious maybe about some of the unheralded LSU players we haven’t talked or heard about much this year that have surprised you with how much they’ve improved from the start of the season to now?

Kelly: “I think I could probably start with Jayden Daniels. I think we get kind of lost in just his rise and his development as a quarterback. I don’t know that anybody had him pegged for a Heisman, a leading Heisman trophy candidate. I think his (rise) has been outstanding. Brian Thomas has been another one that I could point to.

“I think Garrett Dellinger’s had a great year on the offensive line. I would say from a defensive line standpoint, Jacobian Guillory has really progressed from a defensive standpoint. I think Greg Penn has been really solid for us from a defensive standpoint. We’ve seen improvement from week to week.
“I think you’d have to put Sage Ryan in there. Here’s a guy that we’ve asked to play multiple positions and at times that’s difficult. But I mean, I think his resilience has been really good and we’ve seen a steadying incline in terms of his play. There’s many more. I’m leaving out a lot of guys… Maason Smith the last few weeks has been really good. I’m gonna leave out somebody, which these are tough questions because you forget somebody that’s doing a nice job, but that’s just to name a few and I’m sure I forgot some.”

Q: We haven’t asked you a ton about LSU WR Brian Thomas, so I’m wondering if Have you noticed maybe a change in his mindset or his demeanor from last year to this year?

Kelly: “100 percent. Everything. Focused. Attention to detail. Doing a great job in the classroom. I would say that it’s the Brian Thomas that is reflected in the way he’s playing. Blocking downfield, catching the ball, all that is a product of him taking care of all the little things in his life on a day-to-day basis. Proud of his growth and his maturity and it’s all because of Malik Nabers, right? No, I’m kidding, right?

“We have this standing joke. ‘Brian, all your success is because of Malik, so I don’t know.’ He’s earned all of it and it started with his focus and determination in the classroom and doing the little things the right way and being early for everything. It was a choice. He wanted to be elite. He made that choice and I’m really proud of him.”

Q: Say you’re in this same situation right now next year when it’s a 12-team playoff and you kind of still have an opportunity to crack the field. Are you looking forward to being in that kind of a situation should you be in that situation next year? Or are you more of a fan of the 4-team playoff?

Kelly: “We expect we expect to be there. That’s why we’re here at LSU, to be part of championship play and postseason play, if you will. I’m a fan of 12 teams. I always have been. I started my career in Division II, where we had 16. Now it’s 32.

“It’s exciting. Whether you’re on campus or you’re hosting or you’re not. I just think it’s going to be great for college football and who knows? Right now, if we’re in this position, I think what, we’re 15th? Maybe we get a little help and we slide in. That would make it exciting, right, for everybody in college football that the top 15-16 teams are still fighting for an opportunity for postseason. I think this is going to be exciting. We still have some work to do this year. Our goal is obviously, as I talked to our football team, look everybody remembers about how you finish. For us, it’s about finishing strong and finish the season strong. That’s what our focus is right now.”