Paul Finebaum: Brian Kelly, LSU Football's Loss of Bryce Underwood Sets Terrible Week

Brian Kelly and the Tigers saw the No. 1 quarterback in America flip his pledge, seals the deal on a disappointing year in Baton Rouge.

Jul 15, 2015; Birmingham, AL, USA; Paul Finebaum broadcasts on ESPN during SEC media day at the Wynfrey Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-Imagn Images / Shanna Lockwood-Imagn Images

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers (7-4, 4-3) may have defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 24-17 on Saturday night in Death Valley, but the victory certainly flew under the radar after the program received impactful news on the recruiting trail.

Last Thursday evening, Belleville (Mich.) five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood announced he would be flipping his commitment from LSU to the Michigan Wolverines.

The news came on the heels of Michigan reportedly piecing together an NIL package north of $10.5 million for Underwood, the No. 1 overall player in America.

SEC Network's Paul Finebaum hopped on The Matt Barrie Show on Sunday to discuss the "terrible" week for LSU with Saturday's victory over Vanderbilt being under the radar due to the recruiting loss.

“It was a terrible week for Brian Kelly,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show. “The biggest loss was Underwood, even more so than the Florida game because that’s what the fans, I should say, we’re building the hope for next year. Again, the Vanderbilt game was so deep under the radar screen last night.

“I was watching the Alabama game and watching the Auburn game, and I had to remember at about midnight what happened at LSU. I assumed that LSU won because otherwise, I would have had 15 texts about Brian Kelly. But it was hard. The good news is, he won the game. The bad news is, I don’t know, how much interest there was as long as he won. That was all that mattered.”

Kelly and Co. snapped a three-game losing skid with the win, but the news of Underwood came after the Tigers lost in Week 12 to the Florida Gators in Gainesville. The loss cemented their status as being a team locked out of the College Football Playoff.

“Now, he plays Oklahoma,” Finebaum said of Kelly. “I’m not trying to sound like I’m a shill for Brian Kelly, but he wins that game. He hopefully gets to a decent bowl game, and wins, and it’s all about next year. But next year is very big.”

After dropping three consecutive games, losing the commitment of Underwood and more, it's been a unique year for the Bayou Bengals.

Finebaum hasn't been shy about his thoughts on Kelly and the state of the LSU program. After regressing in Year 3 of the "Kelly Era," the program is in a vulnerable state.

He echoed the same sentiment during a television appearance last week:

“Now, you just said you don’t want to play Kansas if you’re another team. You do want to play LSU,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show. “I talk to you every Monday after I talk to Brian Kelly. There’s something that came about two years ago; we really enjoyed the relationship. And in the last few weeks, it’s just downright like riding a roller coaster at Six Flags, because it’s almost indescribable what a hot mess LSU is at the moment.” 

The on-field result has been below standard, but a piece that has been a major takeaway to some are the sideline interactions Kelly is having with his players. Finebaum alluded to that.

“I mean, you see Kelly yelling at players, them yelling back at him. You see the Notre Dame fans chirping, especially if they get through the next two weeks and make the playoffs and he is suddenly in a really bad spot, because this season has blown up on him,” Finebaum said.

"He had the number one quarterback in the country committed, and now that’s about to become a bidding war with Michigan, of which we have never seen before. And if he doesn’t get that guy, I don’t know what next year looks like for him.” 

Finebaum opened up on Kelly's future despite winning 10 games in each of his first two seasons at the helm of the program.

“It’s bad because LSU fans, they have no basement,” Finebaum said. “I mean, they just go from [if] beating Alabama a week ago to maybe getting to the SEC Championship game, into the playoffs. To now, the season is over and they have a home game next week against Vanderbilt. I doubt the enthusiasm level in the parking lot is going to be [up to standard]. It’s going to be close to comatose. 

“And then the final game of the year is against Oklahoma, which won’t be any better. And Kelly, who I really believe is an elite coach, somehow, has just watched this thing blow up on him. A number of injuries happened, and who knows what else. Garrett Nussmeier cannot get out of his own shadow. I think, depending on how the season ends, I mean Kelly’s going to be facing maybe the coldest winter of any SEC coach.”

Now, LSU will return to Tiger Stadium on Saturday night in the regular season finale for an SEC showdown against the Oklahoma Sooners. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. CT.

More LSU News:

Paul Finebaum: LSU, Brian Kelly in a "Really Bad Spot" Moving Forward

LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

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