Blake Baker to stay at LSU as Lane Kiffin's defensive coordinator

Blake Baker is staying at LSU to serve as Lane Kiffin’s defensive coordinator, sources told On3’s Chris Low. He was the top target at Tulane to replace Jon Sumrall as the Green Wave’s head coach.

Baker just finished his second season as LSU’s defensive coordinator after arriving in Baton Rouge in 2023. He became the highest-paid assistant coach in college football when he arrived from Missouri, making $2.5 million per year.

Kiffin confirmed the news via social media Friday night. He said discussions about keeping Baker at LSU were part of the reason he did not go to Atlanta for his scheduled interview on College GameDay.

“Sorry couldn’t make it to Atlanta, but so excited that I stayed to finish this all up!!” Kiffin wrote on X. “@CoachBlakeBaker is going nowhere!!!! What a really long amazing Friday for @LSUfootball. #ItsDifferent”

LSU’s defense ranked in the top half of the SEC this season, allowing 319.7 yards per game. The Tigers also held teams to 18.3 points on average, which ranked fourth in the conference. Those were both improvements from 2024 when LSU gave up 364.4 yards and 24.3 points per game in Baker’s first season as defensive coordinator.

On3’s Pete Nakos previously reported Kiffin was attempting to retain Blake Baker while building out his staff. However, Baker came up as a name to watch in the Tulane search to replace Sumrall, who’s preparing to take over as Florida’s head coach once the Green Wave’s season ends. Tulane played in Friday’s American Conference championship game against North Texas, and the winner was likely to advance to the College Football Playoff.

More on an eventful week for Lane Kiffin at LSU

LSU officially introduced Kiffin earlier this week following his high-profile departure from Ole Miss. His press conference took place days before National Signing Day, and the Tigers put together a strong class through the Early Signing Period.

LSU signed 14 players as part of a recruiting class that ranks No. 11 in the country, according to the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. Brown – a Five Star Plus+ ATH – is the headliner as the No. 1 overall recruit from the 2026 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services. Five-star defensive lineman Richard Anderson is also part of the group, giving Kiffin two five-star signees out of the gate.

Kiffin has also been busy trying to build out his staff at LSU. Ole Miss offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. is also set to join him in Baton Rouge, though he returned to coach the Rebels in the College Football Playoff under new head coach Pete Golding.

In addition, On3 reported Lane Kiffin is also in talks to add a defensive assistant to the staff. It’s been an eventful week for the new LSU head coach as he settles in to his new digs.