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LSU head coach Brian Kelly thinks his Louisiana accent has improved as he enters his second season of coaching in the SEC.
Kelly, who went viral in December 2021 after debuting his accent in front of LSU basketball fans, joked Monday that his accent has only gotten better with time.
LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly after winning the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl between Purdue and LSU on Jan. 2, 2023 at Camping World Stadium, in Orlando, Florida. (Joe Petro/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"I think my accent is pretty good and has gotten better throughout the recruiting process," Kelly joked while speaking at SEC Media Days. "It depends on if I'm in Northern Louisiana or Southern Louisiana. Sometimes I get over to Lake Charles, it's got to change a little bit."
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Kelly is from Massachusetts and told the Barstool Sports’ "Bussin’ With the Boys" podcast in April that he did not fake a Southern accent.
"No, I mean, who would – that’s the stupidest thing to try to do," he said. "Listen, when you have a Boston accent, I mean, and you’re in the Midwest, and you go down South, you’re going to be all messed up anyway.
LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly on the sidelines during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Nov. 12, 2022 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
"I think I have a bit of a strange accent anyway. So add another one, I think it’s crazy anyway."
Regardless of the accent Kelly uses this season, the Tigers are in a much better position than they were a year ago.
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In his first year at LSU, Kelly went 10-4, taking down Alabama at home and playing in the SEC Championship game.
"We have much do to, progress needs to continue to be made in the best conference in college football," Kelly said Monday. "So, that will not be easy. We’re excited about what we’ve done in a very short period of time and the foundation of success is built in consistency.
LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly speaks during Day 1 of 2023 SEC Media Days at Grand Hyatt Nashville on July 17, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
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"Alabama and Georgia continue to hold that mantle of consistency in terms of playing for championships. And that’s what we’ll be looking to be at LSU is playing for championships consistently year in and year out. And you don’t do it by just being a one-and-done. You’ve got to be able to do that over a period of time."
The Tigers open the 2023 college football season against the Florida State Seminoles.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report