Blake Baker wants LSU’s defense to look like a championship level LSU defense.

Fast. Physical. Aggressive. Confident. A defense that attacks quarterbacks, challenges receivers, creates turnovers and forces offenses to react instead of dictate. Since Baker returned to Baton Rouge as defensive coordinator in 2024, LSU has made significant progress toward restoring that identity.

The numbers show it. Over Baker’s first two seasons, LSU cut nearly 10 points and 86 yards per game from the averages of the defense he inherited. In 2025, the Tigers allowed 19.85 points and 328.7 yards per game, ranking fifth in the SEC in scoring defense and sixth in total defense. LSU ranked third in the conference in pass efficiency defense and led the SEC in red zone defense and passes defended.

Then there was this number: 17 interceptions.

LSU allowed only 14 touchdown passes in 2025, making the Tigers the only SEC defense to finish the season with more interceptions than touchdown passes allowed.

That is the type of defense Baker has been building in Baton Rouge.

A Linebacker Who Became a Defensive Coach

Baker’s defensive mentality makes sense when you look at his background.

A Houston native, Baker played linebacker at Tulane from 2000 through 2004. He was a four-year letterman and three-year starter who appeared in 42 games, recording 145 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and six sacks.

There was even an LSU connection before Baker ever coached in Baton Rouge. During Tulane’s 2001 game against LSU in Tiger Stadium, Baker recovered a fourth-quarter fumble. The following season, he helped Tulane win the 2002 Hawaii Bowl.

Baker earned his degree from Tulane in 2008 and began coaching at Clear Springs High School in Texas in 2009. He coached wide receivers before moving to linebackers.

Texas hired him as a graduate assistant in 2010, beginning his climb through college football.

Learning at Texas

Baker spent three seasons at Texas from 2010 through 2012, working with linebackers and defensive backs.

Those position groups produced eight All-Big 12 selections during his time in Austin. Baker also worked with players such as All-American linebacker Emmanuel Acho and Quandre Diggs, who was named the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2011.

After Texas, Baker coached safeties at Arkansas State in 2013.

Then Louisiana Tech gave him the opportunity that helped define his career.

Creating Havoc at Louisiana Tech

Baker joined Louisiana Tech as safeties coach in 2014 and was promoted to defensive coordinator and linebackers coach the following season.

From 2015 through 2018, his defenses became known for creating negative plays.

In 2018, Louisiana Tech ranked fourth nationally in sacks per game, 12th in tackles for loss and 33rd in turnovers gained.

The star of that defense was Jaylon Ferguson.

Ferguson led the nation with 17.5 sacks and ranked second nationally with 26.5 tackles for loss in 2018. He earned All-America honors and became a third-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Louisiana Tech also led Conference USA in rushing defense during Baker’s first season as defensive coordinator in 2015 and finished second in the conference in total defense.

The foundation of a Blake Baker defense was becoming obvious.

Attack the line of scrimmage. Pressure the quarterback. Create negative plays. Make offenses uncomfortable.

Taking His Defense to Miami

Miami hired Baker as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2019.

His first Hurricanes defense ranked 13th nationally in total defense and 12th in yards allowed per play. Miami also finished 10th nationally in rushing defense, 16th in red zone defense and 18th in pass defense.

Baker continued developing NFL talent.

Linebackers Michael Pinckney and Shaq Quarterman earned All-ACC recognition, with Quarterman becoming a fourth-round NFL Draft selection. Baker’s 2020 defense featured first-team All-American defensive end Jaelan Phillips, who went on to become the No. 18 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Then LSU called.

His First LSU Stop

Baker joined LSU in 2021 as linebackers coach.

He stayed only one season, but what happened with Damone Clark provided an early example of Baker’s ability to develop players.

Clark exploded for 135 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. His 135 tackles ranked second nationally, and he became an All-American and a finalist for the Butkus Award.

Clark was later selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft.

Baker’s philosophy with linebackers was simple. Teach them their responsibility, build their confidence and then allow them to attack instead of constantly second-guessing what they see.

That philosophy would eventually return to LSU.

Building an SEC Defense at Missouri

Missouri hired Baker as defensive coordinator in 2022.

Two seasons later, the Tigers had one of the SEC’s best defenses.

Missouri finished 11-2 in 2023 and capped the season with a 14-3 victory over No. 7 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Baker’s defense did not allow the Buckeyes a touchdown, something that had not happened to Ohio State since 2016.

For the season, Missouri ranked fourth in the SEC in scoring defense at 20.8 points per game. The Tigers ranked fifth in both rushing defense at 122.8 yards per game and total defense at 336.1.

But the havoc numbers stood out.

Missouri forced 17 fumbles, leading the SEC and ranking fourth nationally. The Tigers recorded 39 sacks, which ranked 11th nationally, recovered 10 fumbles and produced 88 tackles for loss.

Once again, Baker’s defense was attacking.

LSU noticed.

Coming Back to Baton Rouge

LSU hired Baker as defensive coordinator in January 2024.

He inherited a defense that desperately needed improvement and, perhaps more importantly, needed an identity.

The transformation began with attitude.

Defensive end Bradyn Swinson said the Tigers had increased their physicality under Baker and described the new philosophy as attacking. He also talked about greater accountability and called the atmosphere around the defense a completely different vibe.

The statistics began moving in the right direction as well.

LSU cut more than 50 yards per game from its 2023 defensive average during Baker’s first season, despite losing Harold Perkins Jr. in the fifth game and starting defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory in the second game.

Young players developed quickly.

Whit Weeks finished second in the SEC with 125 tackles and earned first-team All-SEC honors. Swinson recorded 8.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss and earned second-team All-SEC recognition.

By the end of Baker’s first year back, LSU’s defense looked faster, more physical and far more confident than the unit he inherited.

The Bayou Bandits Take Another Step

In 2025, Baker’s defense took another major step.

The group became known as the Bayou Bandits, and LSU finished among the SEC leaders in several important defensive categories.

The Tigers allowed 19.85 points and 328.7 yards per game. LSU ranked third in the SEC in pass efficiency defense, fifth in scoring defense and sixth in total defense.

LSU also led the SEC in red zone defense and passes defended.

Seven opponents were held to 17 points or fewer.

Ole Miss entered its game against LSU with the SEC’s top offense and was held to a season-low 24 points.

The secondary became one of LSU’s greatest strengths. The Tigers intercepted 17 passes while surrendering only 14 touchdown passes.

One game showed exactly what Baker wanted his defense to become.

Against Florida, LSU intercepted five passes in a 20-10 victory. Dashawn Spears picked off two passes and returned one 58 yards for a touchdown as the Tigers repeatedly took the football away from the Gators.

The defense was no longer simply trying to survive.

It was changing games.

Developing NFL Talent

Baker’s 2025 defense also produced elite individual players.

Cornerback Mansoor Delane and safety A.J. Haulcy earned first-team All-America recognition. Delane became the No. 6 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, while Haulcy was selected in the third round.

Harold Perkins Jr. was selected in the sixth round.

That continued a pattern that has followed Baker throughout his career.

Jaylon Ferguson at Louisiana Tech.

Jaelan Phillips at Miami.

Damone Clark at LSU.

Darius Robinson at Missouri.

Whit Weeks and Bradyn Swinson at LSU.

Mansoor Delane and A.J. Haulcy.

Baker has repeatedly coached players who developed into All-America performers, high-level conference players and NFL Draft selections.

Football and Family

Baker’s connection to Louisiana extends well beyond football. He is married to the former Roslyn Jones of Mandeville, Louisiana, who was an All-SEC soccer player at LSU, giving the Baker family ties to the university long before Blake became LSU’s defensive coordinator. The couple has three children, daughter Anderson and sons Byron and Brady, and Baker has spoken previously about the natural connection his family feels to Louisiana and LSU.

That connection helps explain why Baton Rouge has become more than another coaching stop. Baker played his college football just down the road at Tulane, his wife competed for LSU, and his family has now returned to Louisiana twice during his coaching career.

Players Want to Play in His Defense

One of the strongest endorsements of Baker comes from the players he coaches.

Whit Weeks has said Baker makes football more enjoyable while still pushing players to improve. Jimari Butler described Baker’s approach as doing your assignment first and then making plays, while Patrick Payton called the system an aggressive attack that allows players to use their abilities and play fast.

Those descriptions all point to the same philosophy.

Baker does not want defenders frozen by complexity. He wants them to understand their assignment well enough that they can react quickly and violently when the ball is snapped.

That is why his defenses create tackles for loss.

That is why they generate pressure.

That is why they attack the football.

Lane Kiffin Keeps Baker

LSU changed head coaches after the 2025 season, bringing Lane Kiffin to Baton Rouge.

Kiffin reshaped much of the staff, but Baker stayed.

He was one of four defensive coaches retained when Kiffin took over the program in December 2025. Baker enters 2026 in his third consecutive season as LSU’s defensive coordinator, while Chris Kiffin joined the staff as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

That decision carries weight.

Lane Kiffin has built much of his reputation designing offenses that create nightmares for defensive coordinators. When he arrived at LSU, he decided the man he wanted leading the Tigers’ defense was already in Baton Rouge.

The Résumé LSU Is Betting On

Baker enters 2026 with extensive experience running defenses at Louisiana Tech, Miami, Missouri and LSU.

His teams have ranked among the nation’s best in sacks, tackles for loss, forced fumbles, rushing defense, total defense and red zone defense.

At LSU, the trend is clear.

Nearly 10 fewer points allowed per game than the defense he inherited.

Eighty-six fewer yards per game.

Seventeen interceptions in 2025.

Only 14 touchdown passes allowed.

Seven opponents held to 17 points or fewer.

Two first-team All-Americans in the secondary.

A cornerback selected sixth overall in the NFL Draft.

Those are not promises about what LSU’s defense might eventually become. They are evidence that the transformation has already begun.

Restoring the LSU Standard

For generations, great LSU teams have been associated with great defense.

Speed on the edges. Physical linebackers. Defensive backs willing to challenge receivers. Defensive linemen capable of wrecking a play before it develops.

Baker understands that standard.

His players talk about attacking, playing fast, trusting their assignments and holding one another accountable. The statistics show a defense steadily moving back toward the level LSU expects.

Lane Kiffin was hired to build one of the most dangerous offenses in college football. Having Blake Baker on the opposite side gives LSU something just as important: a defensive coordinator determined to make the Tigers feared again.

The Bayou Bandits have already made progress.

In 2026, Blake Baker gets another chance to push LSU’s defense closer to where he believes it belongs.