Mailbag Podcast: Lane Kiffin's most important moves at LSU?

In the two weeks since Lane Kiffin has taken over at LSU, there has been no shortage of moves and decisions. Kiffin has gotten through the signing period and is now evaluating the roster for next season while the 2025 team looks to finish out the year with bowl practices.

Matthew Brune and Shea Dixon take subscriber questions on Kiffin’s new hires, the upcoming transfer portal window, the bowl game, and more on this edition of the mailbag podcast.

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On The Pod: Who is the most important position coach Lane has hired?

Shea Dixon: “We did get word of all the new hirings being finalized and those contracts being signed. I believe Wilson reported it first this morning. So I guess we can just go from those, because I don’t know—are we including the Blake Baker move? Let’s just say we could, but I’m going to say the most important would be retaining Blake Baker.

A, because he’s one of the best defensive coordinators out there.
B, the all-encompassing view of it keeps the defensive staff largely in place, right? Which includes people like Corey Raymond, who are viewed as guys you really want to keep around. And it allows your—Jake Olsen, Kevin Peoples—we expect a change with Kyle Williams to just sort of go enjoy his life after giving a year again to football, this time to his alma mater at LSU.

Where they go with that one position remains to be seen. But now you’ve got your DC, your linebackers coach, safeties coach, corners coach, D-end/edge coach. All of them are back. All of them have put, what, two years now into the system, into the scheme. They’ve improved every year pretty much in every metric that matters. And they’re the only reason—LSU did not score more than 24 points against an FBS opponent this year. So only Southeastern. And in many of those games—like Florida was what, 20–10? Well, they had a pick-six. The defense carried them this year. So keeping them, I think, is number one. That’s my answer. Do you agree with that?”

Matthew Brune: “Yeah, no, I agree with that. I think if we’re talking about the most important move of this entire offseason, it’s retaining Blake Baker and the pieces that then fall into place. Yes.

And in terms of hire, I mean, I’m looking at the list now. I’m just going to stick with Charlie Weis here. That’s the answer. Because it’s not just that he’s had success with Lane—it’s the fact that he had success with Lane when he was at FAU for two years, and then was OC at USF, and then rejoined Lane the past four years at Ole Miss. And we’ve seen what they’ve done together.

He’s been his quarterbacks coach. I don’t know how it’ll work—he’s not going to be the quarterbacks coach here. Dane Stevens will be. Maybe you can clarify that for me in terms of what Charlie Weis’s on-field responsibility will be. But he’s been the quarterbacks coach the past few years for him and we know how quarterbacks have played. So I just think that’s absolutely massive.”