Underwood was the crown jewel of LSU’s 2025 high-school recruiting class. His defection is the latest hit to Kelly over the last brutal month.
The Tigers have lost three games in a row by an average of 18.3 points per game after peaking at No. 8 in the Associated Press poll, beginning with an Oct. 26 loss to Texas A&M, 38-23.
They also lost by 29 points to Alabama, 42-13, their worst loss in the series since a 55-17 defeat in 2020.
Last Saturday, LSU lost on the road to Florida, 27-16. It was the Gators’ first double-digit win in the rivalry since 2009.
LSU began the season with hopes of making the College Football Playoff. Instead, it will be playing in a low-level bowl game.
In ESPN’s most recent bowl projections, Kyle Bonagura predicts LSU will play Minnesota in the Music City Bowl, while Mark Schlabach expects a Texas Bowl appearance against Baylor.
The Tigers still have a deep, impressive incoming recruiting class with 24 commits, including five-star athlete DJ Pickens and 19 four-star recruits, led by the nation’s top running back, Harlem Berry, according to 247Sports.
But losing Underwood, who recently posted to social media about rebuffing a reported $10.5 million Michigan name, image, and likeness (NIL) offer, is a significant blow for Kelly. He’s run out of any goodwill he accumulated from his first two seasons when he led LSU to the SEC championship game and coached quarterback Jayden Daniels to the 2023 Heisman.
While the financial component ultimately may have factored into Underwood’s decision, Kelly’s sideline outbursts and emotional, table-slamming postgame news conferences could also have influenced it.
When hiring Kelly on a 10-year, $95 million contract in November 2021, LSU athletic director Scott Woodward praised the former Notre Dame head coach’s “consistency” while noting Kelly “shares our values and visions for elevating our university and our state.”
Kelly was brought in to stabilize a program that went 11-12 in the two seasons following its 2019 national championship under former head coach Ed Orgeron.
Instead, in Year 3 under Kelly, LSU stands on shaky ground.
