Booger McFarland is more than just another voice in the media when it comes to the coaching situation at LSU. The former defensive tackle was a 1st-team All-American selection with the Tigers in 1998, eventually being taken in the 1st round of the 1999 NFL Draft.

The ESPN college football analyst has been keeping a close eye on what has been a whirlwind last few days at his alma mater. It ended with Brian Kelly leaving a Notre Dame team that is still well within the College Football Playoff hunt and becoming the Tigers’ next head coach.

Kelly led the Irish to 2 CFP appearances and a national championship game in 2013. At LSU, he’ll be looking to return the Tigers to prominence and turn the tables on what has been an average last few seasons since they won the 2019 national championship.

But is it the right fit? McFarland noted on “The Paul Finebaum Show” that it depended on 1 thing.

“The fit is all about ‘Can you coach and can you relate to the talent that’s in the state?’,” McFarlane said on Thursday. “If he does, Brian Kelly will win a National Championship in 3 to 5 years. If he can’t, he won’t. It’s as simple as that.”

Louisiana is chock-full of high school football talent, and McFarland was part of that collection when he was recruited to LSU from Winnsboro High School. Kelly will be tasked with continuing that pipeline as he looks to make his mark on the program.