Donte Jackson has the perfect choice of words to describe Brian Kelly
Brian Kelly #BrianKelly
Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson fully believed in LSU and Coach Brian Kelly, expecting the coach to bring his own “flavor” to Death Valley.
As soon as longtime Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly touched down in Louisiana, his voice dripped with enthusiasm about coaching the LSU Tigers.
His faux Southern accent spoke for Kelly before his efficacy could — then there was losing that much-hyped recruit to none other than Alabama. But these were just gaffes, ones that have proven entirely irrelevant to how capable Kelly was of turning the organization around. In the SEC West, LSU is ranked No. 2, only behind the Alabama Crimson Tide, who they’re set to play on Saturday night. The No. 15-ranked LSU is 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the conference, a promising start for a team chasing their 2019 success.
The high-powered LSU offense, which is averaging 40.8 points per victory this season, are responding positively to the coaching transition, something that makes LSU alumni beam with pride. Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson, who was a premier cornerback at DBU from 2015 to 2017, spoke glowingly of LSU leadership during an interview with FanSided.
Though many were curious about what Kelly would bring to the Tigers, Jackson expected more of the same: a winning mindset with that “LSU grit.”
“It was a bit different, playing for both coaches, but it was still LSU football and it had that LSU grit to it regardless,” Jackson said of playing for Les Miles and Ed Orgeron. “And I think that’s one thing that I’m excited to see about with Coach Kelly. I think that he’s gonna keep that same tradition, keep that same grit, but he’s gonna also add his flavor to it. I’m excited to see the Tigers this year.”
As it turns out, rumors have been floating around that Jackson’s former Panthers head coach, Matt Rhule, could return to the college circuit and compete for Kelly’s newly-acquired job. Death Valley Voice’s Gabe Henderson illustrates why this situation is unlikely, and perhaps the Panthers’ performance since Rhule’s departure solidifies that doubt. The Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and nearly defeated the Atlanta Falcons in overtime, losing big due to a mistaken call against wide receiver D.J. Moore. Since Rhule left, Jackson has been playing some of his best ball of the season too, recording two interceptions through three games with a Pick 6 against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Metairie native spoke at length about why he dreamed of playing LSU football and competing with LSU’s track team, which the four-time state track champion did while in Baton Rouge. It was the university’s lauded reputation for producing secondary stars such as Patrick Peterson, Tyrann Mathieu and Ryan Clark that drew Jackson in — and makes him believe in the next generation of Tigers.
“I expect those guys to compete this year,” Jackson said of LSU’s 2022 unit. “LSU is gonna always have talent. LSU is always going to have guys who go and compete. It’s just about putting it together. I think we’ve learned a lot having a young team the past couple of years because we lost so much after that National Championship year. I think that [Coach Kelly] is gonna do a great job of putting guys in the right position to be successful. He has a history of doing that with Notre Dame. He always had tough teams who really played hard. With the talent that LSU is gonna continue to get, I can only expect Coach Kelly to be successful.”
Jackson’s mindset is exactly what LSU fans need to be thinking before their much-anticipated showdown against their ultimate nemesis.
For more College Football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.