ATLANTA - There is a lot of instability in college football these days.
LSU linebacker Mike Jones can attest to that, as the 6-foot, 232-pounder from Nashville is competing under his third coach in three seasons. Jones signed with Clemson out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, in 2018 and spent three years with Dabo Swinney's Tigers before transferring to Baton Rouge after the 2020 season.
Jones played under Ed Orgeron last season and is now under the guidance of Brian Kelly, the former Notre Dame coach who took over at LSU after Orgeron's Tigers struggled to an 11-12 record the past two years on the heels of their 2019 national championship.
"You've just got to be willing to be able to adapt," Jones said Monday as the SEC's media days opened inside the College Football Hall of Fame. "Life changes are inevitable, and I feel like the people who handle it the best are the ones who are able to adapt quickly. Every coach has their little things and their big things as well, and you just have to find out what's important to your coach and apply those things."
Jones, receiver Jack Bech and defensive end BJ Ojulari were LSU's three player representatives Monday, and all three answered plenty of questions comparing their current and former coaches.
"Everybody is going to have accountability, and the biggest thing with Coach Kelly is the increased focus on attention to details," Jones said. "We were very detailed last year, but throughout my college career, I have not seen anybody as detailed - we do a wellness questionnaire every day, we have workouts and practice, we get vitamins every day, we check in for our meals every day and we check in with our weight every day.
"Those seem like a lot of things, but it's built trust and accountability. I now know that I can trust all these guys when it's third-and-short, because I've trusted them every single day for months and months."
Ojulari was a bit more succinct in his response, offering, "They both know how to win. They have different coaching styles, but both are very effective."
Of course, the biggest difference for most people between Orgeron and Kelly transpires when they begin to speak.
"Coach O is from Louisiana, and he talks different from anyone I've ever met in my life," Jones said with a smile. "I'm from Nashville, and I had not dealt with too many people from Louisiana. It was different getting adjusted to Coach O, and Coach Kelly is from up north and had been at Notre Dame for a while. I appreciate them both.
"They're both great dudes and great coaches, and it's been an honor to play for both of them."
New travel plans
In his 12 seasons as Notre Dame's coach, Kelly took his Fighting Irish to venues all over the country. He'll start checking off some new locales beginning Oct. 1, when LSU visits Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium.
"I've never been in many of these venues," Kelly said. "I'll get an opportunity to play at Auburn this year. I'll get a chance to play at (Texas A&M's) Kyle Field and in the (Florida) Swamp. Those will be exciting opportunities and something that I've never experienced in my career of 32 years."
Newcomer update
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was asked Monday if there was a possibility Oklahoma and Texas could join the SEC before the 2025 season.
"That's not up to me," Sankey said. "That's about the relationship between Oklahoma, Texas and the Big 12. We are focused on the addition being effective July 1st, 2025."
Scheduling concern
Missouri third-year coach Eli Drinkwitz is all for Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC, but he's not at the front of the line clamoring for a greater rotation of league opponents once they've arrived.
"I'm for playing consistent games," he said. "I'm for playing consistent opponents and for building a consistent level of expectation that these are the teams that you need to beat and these are the teams that you need to be comparing yourself against. When you have a constant rotation, I don't know how you're going to be able to do that.
"I don't know how you have a basis for comparison."
Odds and ends
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin on the late-game chaos from last October's 31-26 win at Tennessee: "I have signed a lot of mustard bottles and golf balls, which normally I haven't." ... LSU receiver Kayshon Boutte will wear No. 7 this season, an honor that has gone in recent years to cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, running back Leonard Fournette, receiver DJ Chark and safety Grant Delpit. ... The SEC has produced different national champions the past three seasons with LSU (2019), Alabama (2020) and Georgia (last year), nearly matching the league's four-year run from 2007-10 with LSU (2007), Florida (2008), Alabama (2009) and Auburn (2010).
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.
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