LSU Hires Blake Baker as New Defensive Coordinator

LSU head coach Brian Kelly has made his move after firing the entire on-field defensive staff this week. Kelly has hired former Missouri defensive coordinator Blake Baker to take over the same role in Baton Rouge.

Baker will take on defensive coordinator duties as he prepares to navigate a new era for the Tigers.

This one moved fast. Kelly made the decision to part ways with his defensive staff on Wednesday, and 48 hours later, there's a new man in charge. 

Late Wednesday night, reports surfaced that Baker had emerged as the leading candidate for the LSU defensive coordinator vacancy. A coach with ties to Louisiana, as well as LSU, it was clear Kelly and Co. put there foot on the gas for this one. 

LSU had been in contact with Baker as they navigated the coaching search and there is certainly much to like about the lead candidate.

In his two seasons with Missouri, the Tigers finished the season with the No. 34 total defense in both 2022 and 2023, allowing 341 and 336 yards per game, respectively.

Paving the way for Missouri to make a New Year's Six Bowl, he emerged as a name on the national scene.

The other key factors? Baker played his college ball at Tulane and his wife is from Louisiana, who just so happened to be an All-SEC soccer player at LSU.

There is significant intrigue with Baker when it comes to the defensive coordinator position with LSU making things official on Friday night. 

Brian Kelly's statement after parting ways with Matt House:

“This morning, I met with Matt House, Kerry Cooks, Robert Steeples, and Jimmy Lindsey to inform them that they would not return to our coaching staff in 2024. I want to thank each of these coaches for their work on behalf of our football program and our institution during their time here. Decisions like these are always difficult, and we do not make them lightly, but they are made with the best interests of our program and our student-athletes in mind. Moving forward, we will continue working to build a championship caliber coaching staff in support of our mission to Graduate Champions.”

Opponent scoring was up to 29.4 points a game after being at 22.9 in 2022, according to TeamRankings. LSU’s 409 yards per game ranked No. 102 in the country, third down defense was at 45.3% conversion rate for opponents which ranked No. 116 in the country, passing defense allowed 245 yards per game which was No. 102 in the country, rushing defense allowed 163.8 yards per game which was 89th in the country and red zone defense was tied for 114th in the country with a 90.5% success rate for opposing offenses all according to the NCAA website.

Now, Kelly has made his move after firing the entire defensive staff with immediate attention shifting towards the future.