LSU football coach Brian Kelly explains the real reason behind not releasing the depth chart: "You can become really selfish"
With just a couple of weeks before the start of the new college football season, LSU football and coach Brian Kelly have yet to release a depth chart for the team. Fall camp is approaching an end, and most teams have already finalized and released their depth charts, but that isn't the case in the Tigers' camp.
While this may seem odd to many, Brian Kelly has his reasons for not releasing a depth chart. He more likely than not has the entire roster set in stone ahead of the beginning of the season, but his decision not to reveal it comes from a choice to keep his players motivated.
“We’ve purposely not put out one, like if you went into our locker room, we don’t have a depth chart. My experience is once you put up a depth chart, you can go one of two ways. You can become really selfish or really upset. I just kind of stay away from them and we just kind of let them go out and compete every day,” Kelly told On3 in a recent interview.
Ever since Brian Kelly took over the role of head coach for LSU football in 2021, he's emphasized individual and player accountability. His latest comments regarding his decision not to release a depth chart further reaffirm his approach to building a competitive, motivating, yet non-toxic playing environment.
From his perspective, releasing a depth chart can cause players listed at starting positions to possibly become selfish about their roles, whereas the players who get left out lose motivation to perform during training camp.
With just a couple of weeks until the start of the CFB season, it looks like Kelly and LSU will push back the release of their depth chart right till the end.
Who is the LSU Tigers' starting QB?
The SEC has a number of major ongoing quarterback battles in its top programs. Alabama, Georgia and the Aggies are just a few teams with a major jostle to secure the starter QB spot. Amongst all of these teams, LSU has quietly been dealing with its own fight for the role.
Coming into this year, Jayden Daniels was easily the most experienced QB in Baton Rouge. He was the starter for the Tigers last season, leading them to a 6-2 conference record and a 10-4 overall.
But things took a turn with the impressive showing from freshman quarterback Garrett Nussmeier in the SEC Championship Game and the Citrus Bowl. Nussmeier solidified himself as a potential starter for the Tigers, and there has been a simmering QB duel between him and Daniels to find the final starting position throughout training camp.
While the final decision about the future signal caller for LSU football will ultimately come down to Brian Kelly, alternating starters have been making the airwaves. We may only find out who the winner is on opening day.
Louisiana State starts its season with a potential nail-biter against the Florida State Seminoles on Sept. 5.