Tag: Kerry Cooks

BREAKING: LSU fires DC Matt House, multiple defensive assistants

After an abysmal showing in 2023, LSU is overhauling its defensive staff.

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.”

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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No. 1 athlete in 2024 class arrives at LSU for unofficial visit

The Tigers hope to make an impression on one of the best players in the entire country.

One of the best players in the 2024 class is in Baton Rouge, making his first unofficial visit to campus.

Five-star Timpson, Texas, athlete [autotag]Terry Bussey[/autotag] is taking in LSU for a visit that’s sandwiched between two official visits. He visited Oklahoma last weekend and is set to visit the Texas Longhorns this weekend.

Tigers, TCU, Texas A&M, Oregon, Nebraska, Alabama, Tennessee, Auburn and Florida make up the remainder of his top 11. The Aggies are the heavy favorite according to the On3 recruiting prediction machine.

Bussey is a versatile player who sees action at quarterback, receiver, cornerback and safety at the high school level. LSU seemingly sees him as a safety: [autotag]Kerry Cooks[/autotag] has been his primary recruiter, per On3’s Billy Embody.

According to Embody, Bussey plans to take an official visit to LSU this fall.

LSU’s 2024 class ranks eighth according to 247Sports and 11th according to On3. Landing a consensus five-star such as Bussey would certainly go a long way toward boosting that ranking.

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Elite Louisiana prospect opens up committment

Ju’Juan Johnson has reopened his recruitment after the former Colorado commit took a visit to Boulder.

One of LSU’s top targets has reopened his commitment.

Four-star DB [autotag]Ju’Juan Johnson[/autotag] decommitted from Colorado following a visit over the weekend.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Johnson is the sixth-best prospect in Louisiana’s 2024 class. From Lafayette, Johnson has earned offers from many of the country’s top programs.

LSU was in hot pursuit before Johnson committed to Deion Sanders at Colorado. With the recruitment back open, LSU could hop right back in the race.

We’ve seen several LSU recruiting battles play out in a similar way before. A top prospect commits to go out of state before flipping to stay home later in the cycle.

[autotag]Ja’Marr Chase[/autotag] is one example. More recently, we saw it with QB [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] last year.

LSU has a strong connection with Johnson’s high school, Lafayette Christian Academy.

LCA’s head coach is [autotag]Trev Faulk[/autotag], a former LSU linebacker and cousin of LSU legend [autotag]Kevin Faulk[/autotag].

Current Tigers [autotag]Sage Ryan[/autotag], [autotag]Jordan Allen[/autotag] and [autotag]Fitzgerald West[/autotag] were all LCA prospects.

It’ll take some time to get a feel for where LSU stands with Johnson, but the Tigers have as good a chance as anyone to keep the blue-chip prospect at home.

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Tigers crack top 5 for elite 2024 safety Xavier Filsaime

The Tigers remain in the mix for one of the top defensive back prospects in the class.

LSU is looking to add one of the best available defensive backs in the 2024 recruiting cycle to its class.

On Wednesday, four-star safety and top-30 national prospect [autotag]Xavier Filsaime[/autotag] from McKinney, Texas, trimmed his list of potential schools down to five. The Tigers made the cut alongside Georgia, Florida, USC and Oregon.

Talking to On3, Filsaime praised the environment at LSU and his relationship with safeties coach [autotag]Kerry Cooks[/autotag]. He also is intrigued by the number of defensive backs LSU has put into the league.

The Tigers had Filsaime on campus for a visit the first weekend of March, and it seems that made a strong enough impression to stay in the mix for him.

Georgia is a slim favorite at 25.9%, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. LSU sits at just 11%, although that ranks second-highest among the teams that ultimately made the cut for him.

The Tigers added a talented secondary class in 2023. With a player like Filsaime, it would have a strong foundation for the 2024 group, as well.

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Florida defensive back prospect planning LSU visit

Kensley Faustin had a busy visit schedule in January, and it’s only going to pick up during the spring.

Defensive back recruiting has been a strength so far, and LSU is hoping to add another to the 2024 class in Naples (Fla.) safety prospect [autotag]Kensley Faustin[/autotag].

A three-star prospect who ranks as the No. 368 player nationally, per the 247Sports Composite, Faustin has had a busy month of January. He’s taken trips to Florida, Miami and Texas A&M, and he has a long list of additional schools he’d like to check out.

Per On3’s Billy Embody (subscription required), one of those schools is LSU, which Faustin said he currently intends to visit at some point in April. Faustin told Embody that LSU’s track record with defensive backs has caught his attention, and he’s been in heavy contact with cornerbacks coach [autotag]Robert Steeples[/autotag], safeties coach [autotag]Kerry Cooks[/autotag] and defensive coordinator [autotag]Matt House[/autotag].

Faustin will have a hectic spring ahead of him as he still wants to visit several schools, but he said he’d like to have a decision made this summer ahead of his senior year. He currently has no Crystal Ball projections, but Miami is a 36.8% favorite per the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

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LSU analyst to join Bret Bielema’s staff at Illinois

Antonio Fenelus will be reuniting with his former coach.

An LSU analyst is off to the Big Ten.

[autotag]Antonio Fenelus[/autotag] will be joining Bret Bielema’s staff at Illinois as the defensive backs coach. Fenelus played at Wisconsin under Bielema, where he was an All-Big Ten First Team selection.

Fenelus has been at LSU for two years and was one of the few holdovers from the [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag] regime. Fenelus worked with LSU’s defensive backs along with [autotag]Robert Steeples[/autotag] and [autotag]Kerry Cooks[/autotag].

In a statement released by Illinois, Bret Bielema said, “I have been waiting for the opportunity to hire Antonio here to Illinois since coming here.”

Fenelus will coach defensive backs at Illinois, a job that is only open because the previous coach in that role, Aaron Henry, was promoted to defensive coordinator after Ryan Walters left for Purdue — who happens to be LSU’s bowl opponent.

LSU’s on-field staff has yet to see any changes, but Fenelus joins a few support staffers who have left for promotions at other schools.

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Kerry Cooks leaves Notre Dame to join the Tigers staff

Brian Kelly brings another former Fighting Irish staffer to join him on the Bayou.

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Brian Kelly has been busy working on his coaching staff for LSU. On Wednesday, Kelly hired Brian Polian and announced Brad Davis would come back as offensive line coach. Also, Kelly brought in former Notre Dame and Oklahoma assistant coach Kerry Cooks to coach the defensive backs.

Cooks will replace Corey Raymond, who left LSU after ten seasons to coach Florida. The defensive back coach has coached with Kelly in 2010 as the outside linebacker coach, 2011, cornerback coach, 2012-13, co-defensive coordinator, 2014 defensive back coach, and in 2020, as a defensive assistant.

In 2012 under Cooks, the fighting Irish finished second in the country in yards per completion. Also, Notre Dame only allowed 11 touchdowns. Cooks is known for being a good recruiter and an outstanding defensive coach.

After the 2014 season, Cooks went on to coach at Oklahoma from 2015-2018; in 2019, he went on to Texas Tech, where he spent one season coaching safeties, then found his way back to Notre Dame in 2020. Cooks also coached at Kansas State, Western Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

The former Notre Dame assistant coach played his college ball in Iowa and played for four teams in the NFL, the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

This is another exceptional decision by Kelly, bringing in a coach he has a history with on his coaching staff. Also, Cooks has played football and has a lot of coaching experience, which will resonate with the players.

Oklahoma 2020 player card: No. 3 Jamal Morris

Sooners Wire will be creating player cards for readers to be introduced to the 2020 roster. Here is the second No. 3: Jamal Morris

There is a ton of momentum to having a 2020 college football season these days. No definite signs, yet, but the season would start three and a half months from now.

Sooners Wire will be creating player cards for readers to be introduced to the 2020 roster.

Here is the second No. 3 on Oklahoma’s roster.

Name: Jamal Morris

Number: No. 3

Year: Redshirt freshman

Position: Linebacker

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 211 pounds

There were a handful of players who spent 2019 rehabbing for injury or training to play a different position in 2020. Former safety Jamal Morris fit into that group.

The Fort Bend Bush High School product was named a four-star prospect by Rivals in the 2019 recruiting class. Morris was listed as the No. 22 safety in the country and No. 45 player in the state of Texas.

He was recruited to Oklahoma by former defensive coordinator Mike Stoops and defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks. Morris picked Oklahoma over Texas and other offers from the likes of LSU, Michigan and Notre Dame.

The redshirt freshman made the move to linebacker after the 2019 season where Oklahoma has limited depth at in 2020. Morris will get a chance at the weak-side linebacker position with Caleb Kelly and Brian Asamoah. He played in one game in 2019 in the second game against South Dakota.

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