Following the conclusion of the ReliaQuest Bowl against Wisconsin on Monday, LSU made a slew of defensive staff changes on Wednesday.
Most notably, the Tigers fired defensive coordinator [autotag]Matt House[/autotag] after two seasons in Baton Rouge. Alongside House, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] announced that safeties coach [autotag]Kerry Cooks[/autotag], cornerbacks coach [autotag]Robert Steeples[/autotag] and defensive line coach [autotag]Jimmy Lindsey[/autotag] would not return in 2024.
It’s a full-on overhaul for a defensive staff whose unit underachieved this season. After putting together a solid group in 2022, the defense backslid tremendously in 2023.
The Tigers ranked 86th in points allowed and 110th in yards allowed while ranking in the bottom 15 nationally in opponent third-down percentage.
“I want to thank each of these coaches for their work on behalf of our football program and our institution during their time here,” Kelly said in a statement. “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 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.”
LSU has fired defensive assistants Matt House, Kerry Cooks, Robert Steeples, and Jimmy Lindsey.
Brian Kelly statement: pic.twitter.com/4ZHHSTGSXY
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) January 3, 2024
House, Cooks and Steeples were a part of Kelly’s initial staff at LSU. House and Steeples came from the NFL ranks with House having prior SEC coordinating experience, while Cooks was an analyst at Notre Dame who followed Kelly to Baton Rouge.
Lindsey joined the staff ahead of this season after holding the same role at South Carolina, but he spent most of 2023 away from the team while dealing with a health issue.
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