LSU Shakes Up The Defensive Staff

Erik Trosclair • January 4, 2024

Lets get into it!

Brian Kelly did what many LSU fans thought he may not do Wednesday morning, by not only letting go Defensive Coordinator Matt House, but defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey, safeties coach Kerry Cooks, and cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples.


First off, I hate seeing anyone lose their job. Anyone who has ever been in this type of situation knows how bad of a feeling that is, on the other hand when you get into the coaching world this is unfortunately part of the job.


The 2023 LSU defense ranked 85th in rushing defense, 115th in passing defense, and 105th in overall defense. This would be nearly unacceptable anywhere, but especially unacceptable at a place like LSU with such a rich defensive history. This 2023 LSU season has to be one of the biggest "what ifs" in LSU football history, if this defense would have been average or even slightly below average who knows how high this LSU could have finished. This move could potentially cost LSU over $5 million in buyouts.


Now we get into the fun part. POTENTIAL REPLACEMENTS!


Could we see reunions on the horizon?


Rumors have been swirling around for some time now about former LSU, most recently Florida, Defensive Back coach Corey Raymond returning to Baton Rouge for the same position. This would be great for recruiting!

Other rumors have flown around about Texas Defensive Line coach Bo Davis returning to LSU. Davis played at LSU from 1990-1992, and had two different stops in Baton Rouge on the football staff, as a Graduate Assistant and an Assistant Strength and Conditioning coach.

Another familiar name is Blake Baker, Baker was the Linebacker coach at LSU in 2021, he is currently the Defensive Coordinator and Safeties coach at Missouri. Poaching a conference opponent's Defensive Coordinator away would be awesome.  Missouri finished the season ranked 25th in total defense.


Does Scott Woodward go after a big name as he has a history of doing?


Either one of the Michigan Co-Defensive Coordinators would send shockwaves throughout the college football world. Jesse Minter has stops in the SEC among other power five schools as well as the NFL. Steve Clinkscale, the other half of Michigan's Defensive Coordinator duo, who seems to specialize in the defensive backfield, has SEC and other power five stops on his résumé. Michigan has finished in the top 10 in total defense in back to back seasons.

Nebraska Defensive Coordinator, Tony White, who is a back to back Broyles Award nominee at two different schools (Syracuse and Nebraska), would be a great fit for the Tigers. White has coached at multiple power five schools, and has linebacker as well as defensive back coaching in his background. Nebraska finished ranked 13th in total defense this season.

A guy who is extremely familiar with the Southeast is Oregon Co-Defensive Coordinator and former Tulane Defensive Coordinator, Chris Hampton. Chris has a background in the defensive backfield. This is an extremely interesting candidate, as Hampton is young but has climbed the college football ladder quick. Oregon ranked 9th in total defense in 2023.

Next is someone with deep Louisiana roots, Miami Defensive Coordinator Lance Guidry. Guidry who is from Louisiana, has a very long and interesting résumé with multiple stops at Louisiana high schools as well as colleges in Louisiana, among other stops throughout college football. Guidry has coached both Marshall's and Miami's defenses to top 40 finishes in the past two seasons. A guy with deep Louisiana ties can be a big plus in recruiting.

Another big fish would be Iowa's Defensive Coordinator Phil Parker, who has been the Defensive Coordinator as Iowa since 2012, Iowa's defense has finished ranked within the top 20 in total defense in nearly every season. This may be a tall task, as Parker has been a part of Kirk Ferentz's Iowa coaching staff since 1999, but as we all know, money talks.


UNDER THE RADAR CANDIDATES


First up, Air Force Defensive Coordinator Brian Knorr. Knorr has been on the Air Force coaching staff since 2018. Knorr has made stops all over college football, and he has coached both sides of the football. The Air Force defense has finished 12th and 3rd in the past two seasons in total defense.

Next is Scott Symons, who would be an interesting hire. Symons is a young and upcoming defensive coordinator in the college football world. He has climbed up from the high school coaching ranks. Scott Symons was a Broyles Award nominee this season, his SMU defense finished at 12th in total defense.


Brian Kelly has a lot of decisions to make. Stay tuned!!


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By Kaden Arkeder • July 28, 2026
Well the changing of the guard has begun on defense. With Demario Davis leaving in free agency a big leadership void was left in the locker room where someone else will have to take the torch. Whom remains to be seen but all eyes are on what Kaden Ellis brings in his return to the Saints. The Saints signed Ellis to bring back someone with familiarity with the organization and the talents he was better able to showcase after leaving the team. Kaden Ellis in his time with the Atlanta Falcons was able to show he can do whatever you need of him from the linebacker position. He can play off ball in space showing good awareness in coverage but can also play well on the ball when asked to rush the passer from a variety of situations. With Ellis in the fold I expect the defense to be more effective in keeping the offense guessing on what the linebackers will be doing on a down to down basis.  Next up is Pete Werner who has had a up and down career thus far with the Saints but overall has been a solid starter since he was drafted. Werner’s coming off a down year in terms of on field production in 2025 where he was routinely taken off the field in favor of getting the young linebackers on the roster snaps on defense to give them some opportunity and experience. If Werner wants to keep his starting role on defense he is going to have to show more impact on defense this season beginning in training camp. With Demario gone and Pete Werner the only returning starting at linebacker on defense the door of opportunity has fully opened for the young linebackers on the roster. who have been patiently waiting for their chance to make a name for themselves. Isiah Stalbird, Jaylan Ford, Danny Stutsman fit into this category as young guys earning their stripes through special teams and limited snaps on defense thus far. This will be one of the more fascinating, fun training camp battles to see if any can overtake Werner on the depth chart and carve out a more meaningful role on defense. After them is the roster hopefuls in Anfernee Jennings and Jackson Sirmon. These two will look to show they belong in the league and will do whatever it takes to prove it. Whether they make the 53 man roster with the Saints or not the goal is to help bring more competition to the room and see who can do enough to latch on somewhere in the NFL. Opportunity is the key word I would use for this group. From Kaden Ellis getting a chance to really star on defense to Pete Werner getting an opportunity to keep young guys from taking his snaps again to the young guys like Danny Stutsman overtaking Werner on the depth chart. The linebacker unit has plenty of opportunities ahead of them, let’s see what they can make with them.
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