2025 LSU Predictions on the HG
Jake Wimberly
Ross Gaskin Contributing:
What’s to like:
Head Coach Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers will return for the 2025 season with as much talent and hype as ever. That stout Tiger offense will be led by their talented QB Garrett Nussmeier. Nussmeier had a terrific season passing for 4,052 yards and 29 TDs adding 3 more TDs on the ground while leading LSU to a 9-4 season. However, Nussmeier won’t be by himself out there.
LSU hit the portal hard, and they got some ballers that can make huge impacts next season. The Tigers most notable pickups were DE Patrick Payton, CB Ja’Keem Jackson, WR Nic Anderson, and WR Barion Brown. All 4 of these guys were great for their respective prior teams, but these dudes will be dominant together at LSU.
What’s not to like:
With all the talent that LSU has gotten in the portal, it will be very difficult to replace the Tigers who will be moving on to bigger and better things. OTs Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr, TE Mason Taylor, OGs Garrett Dellinger and Miles Frazier, DEs Brady Swinson and Sai’vion Jones, and CB Zy Alexander were all invited to the NFL Combine. All of these guys were great starters and almost all of them were All-American or All-SEC.
The LSU Tigers will miss all of these guys, but the area where they were hit the hardest was on the offensive and defensive lines. 6 of the 8 invited to combine were all linemen, and all 6 of them were game changers and play makers. LSU did a great job at bringing guys as replacements, but we will have to wait and see if the impact can be the same.
What does the Hourglass say?
LSU- SEC (10-2)
Power ranking 133.43. 10th toughest schedule in the SEC.
2025 LSU Analytics
National recruiting rating (three year metric): #5- inside the boundary of a National Championship Roster.
National Coaching Ranking:
Brian Kelly- 5th in Power 5 and 3rd in the SEC.
2024 coaching value= 18 (average 2025 Power 5 coaching value=9.3) Brian Kelly ranks as one of the best coaches in the Power 5.
ODE analytics 2024 Nationally:
Offensive Ranking: 14th
Defensive Ranking: 37th
Quarterback Play: Nussmeier- ranked 6th in the Power 4, 2nd in the SEC; 2024 QB value= 22.7 (Power 4 average- 14.41).
Impact Ball Catcher Metric: LSU has an Impact Ball Catcher Metric of 3. This puts the Tigers at middle of the pack for the SEC in this metric.
From Vegas:
LSU ATS in 2024: 5-8
LSU at home: 3-4
LSU on the road: 1-3
LSU neutral site: 1-1
Final thoughts:
There are some new Tigers on the block along with some well known Tigers who are ready to tear up anybody who gets in their way. Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers are looking mean, and they are going to remind everybody why they call their stadium Death Valley. Expect these Tigers to go on a great run this season, and maybe for another Tiger to win the Heisman.
2025 Schedule analysis:
Projected Hourglass W/L record: Games in red denote games that could be a one possession game or even a different outcome than projection.
Editors Note: All photos courtesy of 247sports.com
