It was an offseason full of shakeups on the defensive side of the ball for LSU.
Following the ReliaQuest Bowl, the Tigers fired defensive coordinator Matt House and most of his staff. Replacing him is Blake Baker, who Brian Kelly recently commented on during his trip to the Senior Bowl.
“I got a chance to spend a little bit of time with Blake,” Kelly said. “But anytime there is a transition, it is very difficult to commit to anybody because you are bringing in a whole new philosophy and a way of doing things.
“I was impressed with him and then obviously, with the work he did at Missouri. And as an SEC opponent, we got a chance to see him first-hand. Was impressed with his work. His ability to recruit and certainly the relationships he built at LSU when he was here made him a logical choice.”
Joining Baker on the defensive staff are Bo Davis and Kevin Peoples, who will coach the defensive line, and Corey Raymond and Jake Olsen, who will work with the secondary.
It’s a return to LSU for both Davis and Raymond. Both are former LSU players and have been on staff before, with Raymond serving as a defensive backs coach from 2012-21. Baker and Olsen also previously coached at LSU.