What Brian Kelly, LSU football's BJ Ojulari said about embracing new era at SEC Media Days

When Brian Kelly walked up to the podium in Atlanta, it appeared as a chill had rolled down his spine.

LSU football's first-year coach looked nervous in front of the cameras at his first SEC Media Days on Monday. It was his first conference media day of any kind since 2009, after spending the last 12 seasons at Notre Dame, with no affiliation in football.

He looked tense and cautious, as every word was delivered with a wavering tone that wasn't present during spring practices or in December when he was introduced by as LSU's next coach.

Kelly was a new face in a new place, a theme both the coach and the Tigers have tried to embrace.

"It's been quite an interesting six, seven months as I embarked on this journey which has been exciting for me," Kelly said. "It started with the right time and the right place. The timing was right for me. The place was perfect. We had an incredible president in President Tate and an athletic director I had a history with (athletic director) Scott Woodward and rich history and tradition with LSU football."

BRIAN KELLY ON LOUISIANA ACCENT: LSU football coach Brian Kelly talks his 'Louisiana accent', his favorite Louisiana dish so far

LSU SEC MEDIA DAYS LIVE UPDATES: Brian Kelly, LSU football players speak at SEC Media Days 2022: Live updates

BRIAN KELLY ON FLORIDA STATE AND QB BATTLE: What LSU football coach Brian Kelly said about FSU and QB competition at SEC Media Days

Since the ugly conclusion of coach Ed Orgeron's tenure, in which LSU went 11-11 in his final two seasons, the Tigers have uprooted their roster, coaching staff and culture. They brought in 30 new scholarship players, changed out every member of the coaching staff except for one and began to preach the importance of discipline, good habits and timeliness.

The transition to life in Baton Rouge hasn't always been smooth, at least in the public eye. Kelly has been laughed at for dancing with recruits and using a bad Southern accent. And the roster he's rebuilt still has some question marks, particularly at cornerback, tight end and the offensive line. He also needs to pick a starting quarterback.

But tangible progress is already being made, even if the Tigers have yet to play a game under Kelly's command. During the Texas Bowl at the end of last season, LSU had 39 scholarship players and started a wide receiver at quarterback.

"(Coming to LSU) has been an opportunity to put a roster together in a very short period of time, creatively," Kelly said. "We've had to use the transfer portal, we've recruited, we've spent a lot of time in player development."

One player who is noticing the change around the program is edge rusher B.J. Ojulari. Among the changes Kelly has implemented, Ojulari has noticed his insistence on the importance of academics.

"We take academics more seriously," Ojulari said. "As soon as Coach Kelly came in, we raised our GPA by a certain amount of points. I don't know the exact number but the spring semester was a great improvement in terms of our team GPA."

After spending two seasons and recording 11 sacks under Orgeron's command, Ojulari didn't expect that Kelly would be LSU's next coach.

But since his hiring, Ojulari has made sure to welcome the new opportunity provided by Kelly.

"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," Ojulari said.

The results of this change may not happen overnight, and Kelly acknowledges that.

So as Kelly stood at the podium Monday  — speaking to a hive of reporters at the biggest SEC media event of the year — his body language improved, his voice stopped wavering and his messages became more clear.

He was starting to embrace his new surroundings.

"For me, (coming to LSU) was (about) taking on that great opportunity in front of me to be part of restoring championship quality football to LSU," Kelly said.

Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser and the USA TODAY Sports South Region. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Brian Kelly, LSU football embrace new era at SEC Media Days 2022