Tag: Blake Baker

How can LSU fix its defense in 2024?

Harold Perkins is the key to a successful defense, but the defensive line has to step up as well.

[autotag]Matt House[/autotag] orchestrated one of the worst LSU defenses in 2023.

The Tigers had some good athletes on that side of the ball, but there were times when watching the defense was like agony. Don’t fret, because there is hope on the horizon. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

[autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] is back on campus in Baton Rouge after being the defensive coordinator for Missouri the last two seasons.

[autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] is about to be one of the most dangerous men on the planet in Baker’s defense. [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] is also in a great position to be successful.

On3’s Jesse Simonton recently discussed what LSU will need to do to fix the defense next fall.

“I think the key is are they going to unleash Harold Perkins and can they get better production out of these blue-chippers that they have on the defensive line?” Simonton said. “Because those guys just have not delivered the results.”

Perkins is the key to a successful defense, but the defensive line has to step up as well. With [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] declaring for the NFL draft, LSU now has two returning defensive linemen from last year’s team as well as the recruits in the 2024 recruiting class.

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LSU cracks the top 15 of ESPN’s way-too-early 2024 rankings

2024 is setting up to be a year of change for LSU.

The 2023 season just concluded on Monday night as Michigan defeated Washington in the College Football Playoff national championship game, but ESPN is already turning its attention to the 2024 season as it released its way-too-early top 25.

It’s shaping up to be a year of change for LSU. [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] is moving on, as are his top two wideouts in [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] The [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] era is set to begin as LSU will hope to maintain its offensive prowess while reworking the defense that struggled this year.

Missouri’s [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] has been brought in to fix that unit, and the Tigers will hope the result is a more balanced roster. In the meantime, they come in at No. 14 in ESPN’s rankings.

2023 record: 10-3, 6-2 SEC

Expected key losses: QB Jayden Daniels, WR Malik Nabers, WR Brian Thomas Jr., C Charles Turner III, S Andre’ Sam, LB Omar Speights, DT Jordan Jefferson

Expected key additions: QB A.J. Swann, WR Zavion Thomas, S Jardin Gilbert, OT Dominick McKinley, TE Trey’Dez Green, ATH Jelani Watkins

2024 outlook: The Tigers won 10 games in each of Brian Kelly’s first two seasons in Baton Rouge. They didn’t take advantage of having Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels this past season, as the defense allowed at least 42 points in three losses. Now, Daniels is off to the NFL draft. He accounted for 95% of LSU’s passing yards and 44.3% of its rushing yards before its bowl game. Daniels was responsible for 50 total touchdowns. The good news for Kelly is that heir apparent Garrett Nussmeier, who waited three years for the starting job, seems more than ready to take over. He was MVP of the ReliaQuest Bowl after passing for 395 yards with three scores in a 35-31 victory over Wisconsin. He won’t have Nabers and Thomas, who are potential first-round picks. Shoring up LSU’s defense will be a focus in the spring. Kelly cleaned house by moving on from coordinator/linebackers coach Matt House, safeties coach Kerry Cooks, cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples and defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey. Hiring Baker from SEC opponent Missouri was a boss move.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has quickly raised the floor at LSU, but the 2024 season could be a decisive one for his tenure as the Tigers look to take the next step.

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LSU athletics are off to a great start in 2024

Buckle up, everyone, we could be in for a great year of LSU athletics.

The year 2024 could not have started on a better note for LSU.

I am not just talking about the success LSU football has had recently, I am talking about all athletics. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the football team kicked it off on the right note with a win over Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Since then, Kelly has landed three commitments from five-star recruits including top 2024 Louisiana prospect [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] and the No. 1 overall 2025 prospect, quarterback [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag].

LSU women’s basketball is off to a 2-0 start in SEC play with wins over Missouri and Ole Miss to start this year. [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] and the men’s basketball team pulled off a huge win over Texas A&M to start conference play 1-0 as well.

LSU gymnastics had their first meet of the year inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and they took on the No. 14 Ohio State Buckeyes. The Tigers came away with a 196.975-196.775 victory over Ohio State to start their season 1-0.

Oh, I forgot to mention, LSU has signed a new defensive coordinator as [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] is returning to the program after serving as the DC for Missouri.

Buckle up, everyone, we could be in for a great year of LSU athletics.

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5 things to know about new LSU DC Blake Baker’s defense

Here are five things LSU fans should know about new DC Blake Baker’s unit.

LSU made a change at defensive coordinator last week, firing [autotag]Matt House[/autotag] along with several defensive assistants. After that, it wasn’t long before reports of a potential replacement broke.

[autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] quickly emerged as the leading candidate after putting together a strong Missouri defense in 2023. It made sense given Baker’s connection to Louisiana and his familiarity with LSU, given he was on staff in 2021.

Missouri just had one of its most successful seasons in school history, capping it off with a win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Baker was a large part of that and his defense was one of the best in the SEC.

That leaves LSU fans feeling optimistic about the defense taking a step forward in 2024. Here are five things to know about Baker’s defense.

Brian Kelly, Eli Drinkwitz address LSU hiring Blake Baker as defensive coordinator

LSU finalized its hiring of Missouri defensive coordinator Blake Baker on Friday night.

LSU finalized its defensive coordinator hire on Friday night, bringing in [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] from Missouri on a deal that will pay him an average of $2.5 million per season over three years, making him the highest-paid assistant coach in the country.

Baker returns to the state of Louisiana, where he served as LSU’s linebackers coach in 2021 and the defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech from 2015-18. He also has prior defensive coordinator experience at Miami.

Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] addressed Baker’s hiring in a statement on Friday night.

“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 in a release. “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.”

Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz also took to social media to thank Baker for his time in Columbia.

Baker completely turned around the Missouri defense from one of the worst in the nation to one of the better units in the SEC. LSU will hope for a similar effect after the defense held the team back in 2023.

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LSU makes top 8 for 5-star 2025 cornerback

The Tigers’ 2025 class is currently ranked second in the country.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has already gained commitments from the No. 1 wide receiver and No. 1 running back in the 2025 class. He is also looking to secure the No. 1 overall player in the 2025 class on Saturday in quarterback Bryce Underwood.

But he’s not the only big fish in the 2025 class Kelly is after.

The Tigers 2025 class is currently ranked as the No. 2 class in the country and LSU just made the final eight for a five-star cornerback.

[autotag]Dijon Lee[/autotag] is a 6-foot-3, 180-pound, five-star cornerback from Mission Viejo, California, where he plays for Mission Viejo High School. The Tigers join Arizona, Oregon, Georgia, Florida, Washington, Penn State and USC as one of the eight schools still in the running to land the five-star cornerback.

The Tigers have one cornerback commit in the class already in Jaylen Bell, a three-star cornerback from Loganville, Georgia. Business may be about to pick up even more for LSU as they just signed [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] on as their new defensive coordinator.

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LSU to reportedly make new DC Blake Baker the highest-paid assistant in the country

LSU is making quite the investment into its defense.

LSU made its defensive coordinator hire on Friday night, bringing in [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] from Missouri. But that’s a move that will not come cheap.

Baker recently signed an extension with the Tigers that made him one of the SEC’s highest-paid assistants at an average of $2 million per year. According to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, Baker’s deal at LSU will exceed that, making him the highest-paid assistant in the country with a three-year deal worth $2.2 million annually.

Previously a member of LSU’s staff in 2021 as a linebackers coach, Baker spent the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Missouri, elevating it to one of the best in the SEC.

Baker has also served as a defensive coordinator at Miami and Louisiana Tech.

Despite boasting arguably the best offense in college football this season, LSU was held back by a defensive unit that was one of the worst. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] opted to overhaul the staff on that side of the ball, and he’ll hope this hefty investment pays dividends in 2024.

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BREAKING: LSU hires Blake Baker as next defensive coordinator

Blake Baker elevated Missouri’s defense from one of the nation’s worst to one of the best in his two years in Columbia.

LSU has found its defensive coordinator.

On Friday night, the team announced that it had poached [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] away from SEC foe Missouri. Baker has spent the last two seasons with the Tigers, elevating a defense that was one of the worst in the nation in 2021 to one of the best this past fall.

Before joining Eli Drinkwitz’s Missouri staff, he was on LSU’s staff under Ed Orgeron in 2021 as the linebackers coach. Baker has further ties to the state of Louisiana as he was the defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech from 2015-18.

He was also the defensive coordinator at Miami from 2019-20.

“Excited to welcome Blake and his family back to Baton Rouge,” coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] wrote on Twitter. “Geaux Tigers!”

With the defensive coordinator hire now set, LSU will turn its attention to filling the vacant assistant coaching positions on the defensive side of the ball. Along with previous defensive coordinator [autotag]Matt House[/autotag], LSU fired safeties coach [autotag]Kerry Cooks[/autotag], cornerbacks coach [autotag]Robert Steeples[/autotag] and defensive line coach [autotag]Jimmy Lindsey[/autotag].

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12 names that could be fits for LSU’s open defensive line coach job, including Texas’ Bo Davis

These coaches could become targets to replace Jimmy Lindsey in 2024.

After a massive staff shakeup on Wednesday, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is looking to fill nearly an entire defensive staff.

Early reports indicate that Missouri defensive coordinator [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] is the leading candidate for the defensive coordinator role. Baker coached linebackers at LSU in 2021, and that’s the group he’d likely work with if he got the DC job.

That leaves LSU needing assistants for the secondary and defensive line after [autotag]Robert Steeples[/autotag], [autotag]Kerry Cooks[/autotag] and [autotag]Jimmy Lindsey[/autotag] were also let go.

LSU will need to fill the DC spot first, but here are some names that could potentially fit working with the defensive line.

5 names to watch for LSU’s defensive backs coach position

These five names would make a lot of sense as LSU’s next defensive backs coach.

After a massive staff shakeup on Wednesday, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is looking to fill nearly an entire defensive staff.

Early reports indicate that Missouri defensive coordinator [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] is the leading candidate for the defensive coordinator role. Baker coached linebackers at LSU in 2021, and that’s the group he’d likely work with if he got the defensive coordinator job.

That leaves LSU needing assistants for the secondary and defensive line after [autotag]Robert Steeples[/autotag] and [autotag]Jimmy Lindsey[/autotag] were also let go.

LSU will need to fill the defensive coordinator spot first, but here are some names that could potentially fit in the secondary.