Brian Kelly reveals reasoning on welcoming Tyrann Mathieu back to LSU

When Brian Kelly heard Tyrann Mathieu was in town, he knew he had to get him to talk to his team. The LSU Tigers great was back in Baton Rouge this past week as he threw out the first pitch of a baseball game against Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday.

Kelly knew Mathieu’s story, from starring on the field in 2010 and 2011 to being dismissed from the team in 2012. The safety didn’t let that stop him, entering the NFL Draft in 2013 and being selected in the third round. That ended up being a steal, as Mathieu is about to enter his 10th NFL season with three Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl to his name.

While on campus this past week, he delivered a message Kelly said the team needed to hear.

“His journey is so compelling,” Kelly said in a press conference after spring practice Sunday. “Dismissed from the program but yet gave back financially to the university. That doesn’t happen. From Louisiana and overcame so much. Such an incredibly productive player for LSU. When you put all that together, what makes this guy tick? He’s 5-foot-9 and what makes him tick is the things that I talk about. His traits. He’s built on the fundamentals, attention to detail. Commitment and hard work. We were able to share his story with our team, and it came from him.

“It wasn’t the head coach. It was Tyrann Mathieu talking about it. So that resonates. It’s not the head coach talking about it. It’s a guy that they revere. He’s talking about, ‘Listen, if you’re not 20 minutes early for a meeting with me, you’ve got a problem.’ When you have somebody of that stature amongst your team talking about the same things I’ve been talking about, certainly it resonates.”

Set to enter his first season as the head coach of the Tigers, Kelly takes over a team that finished just 6-7 this past season. LSU is only three seasons removed from winning the national title in 2019, and Kelly hopes to soon lead them back there. By allowing Mathieu, someone who has played on the highest stage of college football, to impart his wisdom to the current players, he believes they are getting closer.

Mathieu was a member of the 2011 LSU team that lost to Alabama in the BCS national championship. He finished his college career with 133 total tackles (16 for loss), six sacks, four interceptions and 16 passes defended.

After three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, Mathieu is now a free agent. He’s one of the top remaining unsigned players in the league, and he’s taking his time trying to find the right fit for the future of his career. Meanwhile, he’s had the free time to be around his former program and inspire the players that grew up watching and admiring him.