USA TODAY published its annual database of college football coaching salaries on Tuesday. The report detailed what assistant coaches at a public FBS institution made in 2024.
As usual, LSU’s staff was one of the top-paid groups in the country. It’s one of the many things that makes it an attractive spot for head coaches — the ability to go out and land top assistant coaches.
The Tigers have several coaches ranking among the highest-paid in the sport at their position, including defensive coordinator Blake Baker, who is the highest-paid assistant coach in the country.
LSU’s staff went through an overhaul in the offseason, including a completely new lineup on the defensive side of the ball. LSU saw a coordinator change on offense, too, thanks to 2023 play-caller Mike Denbrock taking the same job at Notre Dame.
[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] didn’t look far for Denbrock’s replacement, opting to promote QBs coach Joe Sloan to offensive coordinator.
Here’s what every LSU staffer made in 2024.
Blake Baker, Defensive coordinator — $2.5 million
Baker’s salary was the top assistant payout in 2024. He was tabbed to rebuild the LSU defense after Matt House was let go.
In 2023, Baker coordinated one of the top defenses in the country at Missouri. His ties in Louisiana run deep, and he already had one stint at LSU under Ed Orgeron. All of those factors made him an easy hire for Kelly.
Baker made $1.4 million with Missouri in 2023, making his LSU salary a significant raise.
Bo Davis, Defensive Line — $1.25 million
Not many position coaches around the country command over a million dollars, but bringing Davis back to Baton Rouge was on LSU’s bucket list for some time. Kelly and the administration finally made it happen in 2024.
At his current salary, Davis is the highest-paid position coach in LSU history.
Frank Wilson, Running Backs — $1 million
In what may be a surprise to some, the OC is not the highest-paid offensive assistant on staff. It’s running backs coach Frank Wilson.
Wilson was one of Kelly’s most important hires upon arriving in Baton Rouge. He had a lengthy stint with LSU under Les Miles and has coached some of the best running backs in program history.
Wilson does some of his best work on the recruiting trail, where he’s known as LSU’s ace in New Orleans.
Joe Sloan, Offensive Coordinator — $950K
In 2023, LSU OC Mike Denbrock made $1.4 million. LSU managed to get a discount at the position in 2024 thanks to promoting from within. It didn’t take a bidding war to land Sloan.
For Sloan, the promotion came with a significant raise after making $550K in 2024.
Cortez Hankton, Co-Offensive Coordinator, Wide Receivers — 950K
Sloan called the plays, but Hankton earned a promotion to co-OC after Denbrock’s departure, too. Hankton was already making $850K as WRs coach, so his raise wasn’t as big as Sloan’s.
Before arriving at LSU, Hankton was at Georgia, where he helped lead the Dawgs to a national title. He made $550K in his final year with UGA.
Brad Davis, Offensive Line — $900K
When Kelly arrived at LSU, Davis was the only assistant retained from the previous staff. He’s proven to be one of the top offensive line recruiters in the country.
Previously to working at LSU, Davis was at Arkansas, where he made $625K in 2020.
Kevin Peoples, Defensive Ends — 700K
Baker wasn’t the only coach from the 2023 Missouri staff to join LSU — he was joined by defensive ends coach Kevin Peoples.
Peoples did good work at LSU in year one as DE Bradyn Swinson was one of the top defenders in the conference.
Peoples made $400K with Missouri last year, making it a $300K raise for him at LSU.
Jake Olsen, Safeties — 350K
Olsen joined Baker and Peoples, hopping from Missouri to LSU. Olsen was an analyst with Missouri, so this is his first year appearing in the salary database.
Like many assistants on this list, Olsen has ties to Louisiana. He was with Baker at LSU in 2021 and also coached at Nicholls State, Northwestern State, and Louisiana-Monroe.
Corey Raymond, Secondary — 200K
Raymond’s return to LSU was met with a heap of excitement. He recruited and developed some of the best DBs in the country while working at LSU under Les Miles and Ed Orgeron.
Raymond got immediate results from LSU’s secondary as it took a major step forward. According to PFF, LSU CB Zy Alexander was one of the top-graded CBs in the country.
On the recruiting trail, Raymond just signed DJ Pickett, the top-ranked CB in the 2025 recruiting class.