Quency Wiggins explains difference between LSU Tigers’ Brian Kelly, Colorado Buffaloes’ Coach Prime

Four-star Baton Rouge, Louisiana EDGE Quency Wiggins had seemingly the perfect storybook ending to his high school career: switching sports from basketball to football and joining his hometown LSU Tigers.

Wiggins wasn’t ready for so much so soon, though. And notoriously player-unfriendly Tigers coach Brian Kelly didn’t make him feel welcomed in the slightest.

That’s why all it took was meeting Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders once to make Wiggins realize he chose the right path, leaving LSU and the Deep South behind for the Rocky Mountains in Boulder via the Transfer Portal.

“I started off my junior year in high school when I first picked up a football in general. I was a hooper at first. A coach at Kentucky came to me and said, 'If you played football, I'd offer you right now.' Instantaneously, I went to learn a little football or whatever. The recruitment process picked up for me, I ended up going to LSU. It was a rough process switching from high school to college in such a short time and not even having that much experience,” Wiggins said in a “What's Your Story?” interview, per SI.

“Out of the gate, I was already behind, so I kind of needed somebody to believe in me and push me and just show me the ropes. I feel like over there (LSU), I didn't have that.

“I made the change over here to Colorado, and that's where I met 'Coach Prime.’ Instantaneously, he showed me love. He reassured me and let me know that I can be a player. When I was losing a little bit of faith in myself, he made sure to lift me up or whatever, just always (sharing) uplifting words to me. That's how I'm able to just go out there and work hard for him every day.”

Kelly can have his “Million Dollar Match Challenge.” He can have his top-rated 2025 transfer class. He can fake all the Cajun accents he wants.

If he can’t connect with players, Kelly will never get more out of his players than their baseline talent level. He’ll also never retain the players he was able to nab via the university’s donor class’s donations.

And if he can’t make a run to the College Football Playoff entering his fourth year in Baton Rouge, LSU may find someone who can do those things.