Brian Kelly explains why he expects an improvement from LSU's defense in 2025

Defense has been a thorn in LSU‘s side during the Brian Kelly era. At the 2025 SEC Kickoff on Monday, Kelly addressed the team’s past defensive struggles and revealed his expectations for the team’s defense this fall.

“We’ve got an outstanding defensive coordinator and a defensive staff,” Kelly said. “Blake Baker is, in my opinion, elite in the field of defensive coordinators. We needed to give him some more tools.

“Look, I’ve been the head football coach at LSU, and I know that we have not played the kind of defense necessary to win a national championship. I think we put a roster together in this offseason, along with young players that have taken lumps along the way as they’ve developed, and given Blake now the tools to play championship-level defense.”

LSU is returning just three starters from last season on defense. However, one of those starters is linebacker Whit Weeks, who will be a frontrunner for SEC Defensive Player of the Year in the upcoming season.

Weeks was phenomenal for the Tigers last year, amassing 120 total tackles, the second-most in the country. More important than any individual player, LSU is entering Year 2 under defensive coordinator Blake Baker.

LSU’s defense made significant strides under Baker last season, holding opponents to 364.4 yards per game. Baker should have even more talent at his disposal this year after LSU reeled in the No. 2 class in On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings. Brian Kelly certainly seems confident heading into the season.

“Clearly, the 2023 offensive football team we had was good enough to win a national championship. We weren’t good enough as a team, and a lot of that had to do with addressing some shortcomings we had on defense. We think we’ve done that,” Kelly said.

“I love our roster. I love our team and the way they interact, the camaraderie of our group, the seriousness and focus, their intent. I think we’re going to have a defense that is going to be representative. And look, anytime you go on the road and play a team like Clemson, you better bring a defense with you.”

LSU’s defense will immediately be put to the test. The Tigers are kicking off their 2025 campaign with a showdown against Clemson at 7:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 30. For reference, Clemson averaged 451.9 yards of total offense per game last season, the 11th-most in the nation.