LSU boasted one of the best offenses in college football last season, but in spite of that, it was an overall disappointing campaign as the team finished 10-3 and failed to repeat as SEC West champions.
[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] knows that unit needs to be remedied, and to try to accomplish that, the Tigers moved on from defensive coordinator [autotag]Matt House[/autotag] and brought in [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag], who previously held the same role at Missouri.
Only time will tell how Baker’s unit performs in 2024, but it seems coaches around the country are high on him. Several spoke anonymously for Lindy’s Sports’ preseason college football preview magazine, and one said he expects Baker to turn around the Tigers’ defense in short order.
“They changed defensive coordinators (from Matt House to Blake Baker) and I’m not sure House’s style worked. It was all over the place, a lot of exchange responsibilities. Hence, a lot of busts,” one coach said, per On3. “It’s going to be interesting (in 2024 with Baker) because it’s a major difference. Sometimes you need to cut it back, you need to simplify… But Baker is a phenomenal D-coordinator, and he should get that remedied really quickly.”
Another coach spoke highly about the Tigers’ offense, which he expects to remain explosive despite losing Heisman winner [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and top two receivers [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag]
“LSU is kind of like Tennessee in the ‘70s and ’80s. They’re losing great receivers, but they got two coming in better than the ones they lost. And I’m talking about premier receivers, not just good ones,” a coach said.
LSU is hoping to compete for a spot in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, and while they now have a wider margin for error, they’ll also need to improve in several areas across the board. Defense is one of them, but there’s reason to belive it could be better, as echoed by these coaches.
Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno