The calendar has turned to January and college students around the country are entering a new semester. It’s time to officially close the book on the 2018 season.

LSU AD Joe Alleva shared an open letter Monday reflecting on the Tigers’ success in 2018, the football team, including LB Devin White and RB Nick Brossette get lots of praise from Alleva, who made the trip to Arizona to see Ed Orgeron’s squad get to 10 wins with a Fiesta Bowl victory over UCF.

The football portions of the letter can be viewed below:

The new year brought with it a new trophy to LSU football as we celebrated our first Fiesta Bowl with a win in Glendale, Arizona. Coach O and his staff did a masterful job preparing the team in the face of tremendous adversity. A 10-win season is something to celebrate and build off of for years to come. The entire team and support staff worked tirelessly all season to block out the noise, set their own standard for excellence and to build a foundation that will help this program compete for championships. They did exactly that and I congratulate them on all their success as we look forward to welcoming a new class and a new season in 2019.

The list of members of this family who embody those and other great characteristics is long. D-D is certainly on that list. As is Devin White, the 2018 winner of the Butkus Award as the top linebacker in college football, whose talent, work ethic, character and leadership were on full display throughout the season and into the bowl game.

Right alongside Devin was Nick Brossette who embodies so much of what we love about LSU. A Baton Rouge native who always dreamed of wearing the purple and gold, Nick worked as hard as anyone, and waited patiently for his opportunity to shine. He finished the year with more than 1,000 yards rushing. There are so many of these stories of LSU pride it’s impossible to put them on in one letter. But for all of our student-athletes and coaches who represent this place with such loyalty and pride, know that we appreciate you and your efforts every day. You are and will always be family.

The full letter addressing other Tigers teams can be viewed here.