Lane Kiffin breaks his silence by holding off Blake Baker

Head coach of the LSU Tigers Lane Kiffin confirmed on Friday evening that defensive coordinator Blake Baker will remain in Baton Rougecapping a week of uncertainty in which Baker interviewed for head coaching openings at Tulane and drew significant interest from Memphis.

Kiffin announced the news via a late-night post on X (formerly Twitter), after spending the day finalizing LSU’s early signing efforts.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to Atlanta, but I’m so excited I stayed to finish this all!!
@CoachBlakeBaker isn’t going anywhere!!! What a really long and amazing Friday for @LSUfootball #ItsDifferent,” Kiffin wrote.

Baker was seen by many as the favorite to replace John Sumrall at Tulanehis alma mater, where he played from 2000–04. He reportedly officially withdrew from consideration Friday night as Tulane competed in the American Athletic Conference championship game. Memphis was also following him as a top contender.

However, despite those opportunities, the 43-year-old chose to stay at LSU, where he was one of the highest-paid defensive coordinators in the country at $2.5 million a year. He is reportedly expected to get a raise and contract extension under Kiffin.

Baker’s retention is critical to the Tigers’ recruiting and recruiting stability. Throughout the week, he remained directly involved in recruiting conversations, helping LSU close the early signing period with big additions, including five-star defensive tackle Lamar Brown, the No. 1 overall recruit nationally, and top 100 prospects like Deuce Geralds. LSU signed three top-75 defensive players on Friday alone, bolstering a defensive front undergoing personnel turnover.

The Tigers’ improvement on the field under Baker is the main reason Kiffin favored keeping him on the staff. When Baker arrived from Missouri after the 2023 season, LSU was coming off one of the worst defensive performances in school history. He pulled the unit from 81st in defense to 59th in his first year, allowing 24.3 points per game, before putting together one of the program’s best defensive seasons in nearly a decade in 2024.

This fall, the Tigers ranked 15th nationally in scoring defense, surrendering 18.3 points per game, and 25th in total defense. LSU also led the SEC in interceptions and ranked seventh nationally in picks while not allowing more than 10 points in each of its first four games.

Baker’s return also brings continuity to a defensive staff that includes assistants carried over from his tenure at Missouri, such as coach Kevin Peeples and safeties coach Jake Olsen. The Tigers are targeting Syracuse defensive line coach Elijah Robinson for the same role, and Robinson was spotted in the football operations building on Friday. There is a potential vacancy on the defensive line, as coach Kyle Williams is considering leaving after just one season.