(Lack of) institutional culture

One of the things that is very clear from perennial powerhouse programs is that there is a level of “culture” that transcends individual seasons. Outside of the bizarrely successful 2019 campaign, it’s been well over 15 years since LSU had an institutional vibe that felt like we were building something. The 2019 team had swagger but outside of that there is simply no programmatic identity.

We’ve ping-ponged around from the late Miles years to the Coach O experiment to Brian Kelly and now to Lane. It will take time for anyone to get their bearings and build culture — and the turnover makes it difficult to establish a foundation — but it a lot of the circus attached to the program feels particularly unhelpful when you can’t do basic stuff well.

Outside of the in-game struggles, it’s perplexing that the last few years have been marked by apathy, a general lack of physical toughness, and a deficit of mental preparedness. It’s really weird to remember the years where LSU played smash-mouth ball — and was known for it! — but now? There’s just no juice, man.