BJ Ojulari recalls the process of LSU hiring Brian Kelly, provides early impressions

When LSU agreed to part ways with Ed Orgeron following the 2021 season, it left many players with questions about the future. Star defensive end BJ Ojulari watched with anticipation like many of his teammates as Brian Kelly took the reins and built his new roster.

During SEC media day, Brian Kelly selected BJ Ojulari as one of the player representatives who spoke about the transition and future outlook of the LSU program. He spoke at length about the past few months.

“When I heard, I think it was just off social media,” said Ojulari. “For a long time, everybody just had their guy in mind, had who they wanted to be the head coach. So Brian Kelly was really a shock to everybody. Nobody was really expecting him, but I trust Mr. Scott Woodward, our athletic director, and he believes coach Kelly can get the job done. So as a player, I’ve just got to follow that plan.”

While Kelly might not have been the obvious choice at LSU, Ojulari shared that he has already made a positive impact off the field which could create a better future for everyone.

“Graduate champions is a big motto for us now,” said Ojulari. “We take academics more seriously. As soon as coach Kelly came in, we raised out GPA by a certain amount of points – I don’t know the exact number – but the Spring semester was a great improvement in our team GPA. He’s definitely pushing academics on us. I know for a lot of guys, academics is very important in their families.”

Brian Kelly on SEC talent

Brian Kelly made the leap to the SEC after 18 seasons at Central Michigan, Cincinnati and Notre Dame. While his Fighting Irish teams were competitive during his 12 year tenure in South Bend, the SEC is a whole new ball game.

Kelly discussed his new roster down in Baton Rouge during SEC Media Days. He named multiple players at several positions who will play a role in helping LSU win games this fall.

“I’m pretty excited. Think of Kayshon Boutte. I think of we’ve got four quarterbacks that I think are all talented. I think of Maason Smith on defense, BJ Ojulari who’s here today, Jack Bech. There’s talent even though we’re going through a little bit of a transition,” said Kelly. “We’re going to have to play some younger players and guys in the transfer portal. I feel really good about where we are.”