LSU Tigers Just Outside Of Top 10 In Latest Preseason Top 25

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The LSU Tigers football program had fallen on hard times, which is why they made the seismic shift to move on from Brian Kelly and hire Lane Kiffin. Is it as easy as making that change to just make them elite once again? Maybe so in the modern era of college football.

ESPN's Mark Schlabach recently released a Spring camp update for the Way-Too-Early Top 25 poll. While it's not an "official" ranking, it is a good chance to see what the national view of the Tigers is. LSU came in at No. 11 on this list, which is four spots higher than the last edition.

The Tigers have a lot on their plates to be able to reach those high expectations, but it just goes to show the pressure on Lane Kiffin to perform from Day 1. LSU won't be putting that pressure on him right away, but the dramatic way that he left the Ole Miss Rebels — who are ranked two spots higher than the Tigers on this list — put all eyes on Baton Rouge.

LSU's heavy investment in its roster, reportedly around $40 million, also plays into these expectations. Kiffin's recent success, combined with a star-studded roster, should be able succeed right away in the modern college football landscape.

Though they reportedly had looked at other options first, the Tigers landed one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, Sam Leavitt. Leavitt has NFL expectations and is on par, if not better, than the recent passers that Kiffin has worked with. 

There is a revamped offensive line, which has been the talk of the town throughout the Spring, new pass-catching options to go along with Trey'Dez Green and a returning pair of elite running backs. LSU should have no issues putting up points, which will be a welcome change after how ugly last season was.

The Tigers also worked hard to retain virtually all of the defensive staff. The only change was at the defensive line coach, with Kyle Williams walking away and being replaced by Sterling Lucas. This should be one of the best defenses in the nation, once again, led by Blake Baker.

Mansoor Delane is gone, but DJ Pickett steps into the spotlight as the next star cornerback. Dashawn Spears steps into a starting role at safety, alongside the electric transfer in Ty Benefield. Star freshmen like Lamar Brown and Richard Anderson are impressing right away.

The only real weakness of the defense last season was a lack of a productive pass rush, and then they added the top EDGE defender out of the portal in Princewill Umanmielen.

It might seem unfair to have such lofty expectations for a team in the first year after a coaching change, but there is a reason for it. This should be a great team, at least on paper.

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