Six days removed from their 35-31 win in the Reliaquest Bowl, the LSU Tigers have had a very busy start to the offseason. Earlier this week, it was announced that Brian Kelly was moving on from the defensive staff, including defensive coordinator Matt House.
Days later, Kelly found his replacement: Missouri DC Blake Baker.
Baker comes to LSU after spending the last two seasons at Missouri under Eli Drinkwitz. Before that, he was at LSU under Ed Orgeron as the linebackers coach in 2021. Prior to that, Baker spent several seasons as the defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech and Miami.
“Blake brings a wealth of experience and success as a defensive coordinator throughout his career, including the last two years in the SEC at Missouri,” Kelly said about his new defensive leader. “His ability to develop and motivate his players while putting together highly successful defenses sets him apart in his field. I am excited to welcome Blake and his family back to Baton Rouge.”
While at Missouri, Baker led a Tigers defense that finished 25th in the nation in total defense, putting pressure on quarterbacks and forcing takeaways all season long.
Baker ran a modified 4-2-5 at Mizzou with a hybrid safety/linebacker that will likely be Greg Penn or Major Burns, who announced his return late last week.
Most LSU fans are excited to see the way he will use Harold Perkins Jr with Baker’s scheme. In his two seasons as the Tigers’ DC, the Missouri defense had 40 sacks in 2023 and 35 in 2022, including two players in each season with 5+ sacks. It’s believed that Perkins will be moved back to his typical position of a stand-up edge rusher, similar to what Micah Parsons does for the Dallas Cowboys, under Blake Baker.
After firing the entire defensive staff, Baker comes in as a promising future for the Tigers. Now, the position coaches around him will be critical. Names like Corey Raymond and Bo Davis have been linked to the job, so it’ll be a fun cycle to see how that plays out in Baton Rouge.