Matt House Season 2024

Second season at LSU in 2023

Matt House, a coach with a Super Bowl Championship on his resume, enters his second year as LSU’s defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach in 2023. House coached linebackers for the Kansas City Chiefs for three years prior to joining Brian Kelly’s LSU staff.

In his first year at LSU, House had to overhaul a Tiger defense that was decimated due to the NFL Draft and players leaving the program. The result was nothing short of remarkable as the Tigers ranked among the top half the SEC in nearly every major defensive category.

In 2022, the Tiger defense included seven players (6 transfers, 1 true freshmen) in significant roles who were playing in an LSU uniform for the first time. LSU’s defensive unit also featured two other players who were first-time starters in linebacker Greg Penn and defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy. Not to mention that LSU lost perhaps one of the nation’s top defensive linemen in Maason Smith to an injury on the first series of the year.

Still, LSU managed to rank fourth in the SEC in passing defense (206.2 yards per game), fifth in scoring (22.5 points per game) and sixth in total defense (354.6 yards per game).

Individually, true freshman linebacker Harold Perkins emerged as one of the SEC’s top playmakers, earning conference defensive player of the week honors in back-to-back games in wins over Alabama and Arkansas. He earned first team All-SEC honors and was also named Freshman All-America.

Transfer defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo plugged a hole for the Tigers up front with the absence of Maason Smith and went on to be named third team All-America by the Associated Press and second team All-SEC. Jack/rush end BJ Ojulari was named first team All-SEC and went on to become LSU’s highest-drafted player, going in the second round to the Arizona Cardinals. A total of four Tiger defenders were picked in the 2023 NFL Draft.

In three years with the Chiefs, House was part of a Kansas City organization that won the Super Bowl during the 2019 season and played for the Super Bowl title the following year. Last year, the Chiefs lost in the conference championship game.

During his three years on the Chiefs staff, Kansas City posted a combined regular season mark of 38-11 and posted a 31-20 win over San Francisco in Super Bowl LIV. The following year, Kansas City dropped a 31-9 decision to Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl.

House joined the LSU staff with five years of defensive coordinator experience, including two at Kentucky in 2017-18, two at the University of Pittsburgh (2013-14) and one at Florida International (2015).

At Kentucky, House’s defense anchored a Wildcat team that reached three consecutive bowl games, a first for the school in nearly a decade. The Wildcats capped the school’s first 10-win season in 2018 ranked No. 12 in the nation following a 27-24 victory over Penn State in the Citrus Bowl.

House’s 2018 Kentucky defense ranked No. 6 in the nation in points allowed per game as the Wildcats held six opponents to 14 points or less six times. In his first year with the Wildcats, House served as the special teams coordinator/inside linebackers coach.

House spent one season as the defensive coordinator at Florida International (2015) in which his defense limited four opponents to less than 14 points and finished the season ranked 16th nationally in red zone defense. House’s defense boasted five players who earned all-conference honors and four would go on to sign NFL contracts.

Before his time in Lexington and Miami, House spent time as a defensive coordinator at Pittsburgh (2012-14) where he coached first round NFL Draft pick Aaron Donald. Donald has since become one of the most dominant defenders in the NFL, twice being named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. Pitt won two bowl games during House’s three years with the Panthers.

Prior to returning to the college game, House spent four years in the NFL, serving as defensive quality control/assistant linebacker coach for the St. Louis Rams (2009-11) and special teams/strength and conditioning assistant for the Carolina Panthers (2008).

In his one season in Carolina, the Panthers went 12-4 and claimed the NFC South title.

House’s final stop of his first collegiate stint was at the University of Buffalo (2006-07), where he was the defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator for the Bulls. Buffalo captured the MAC East title in 2007 and in 2008, the Bulls played in a bowl game for the first time in school history.

House also coached on the defensive side of the ball at North Carolina (2003-04) and Gardner-Webb (2005).

House began his coaching career at Michigan State University (2001-02) as a graduate assistant, helping the Spartans to the 2001 Silicon Valley Classic working with the secondary and special teams units.

House and his wife Jessi have four children – Avery, Jackson, Jacob and Trent. The Harrison, Michigan native is a 2000 graduate of Michigan State.

Matt House Coaching History

Year School Position, Postseason
2001-02 Michigan State Graduate Assistant, Secondary
2003-04 North Carolina Defensive Assistant
2005 Gardner-Webb Defensive Line
2006-07 Buffalo Defensive Backs, Recruiting Coordinator
2008 Carolina Panthers Special Teams Asst., S&C Asst., NFC Playoffs
2009-11 St. Louis Rams Quality Control Coach, Defensive Assistant Linebackers Coach
2012-14 Pittsburgh Secondary Coach (2014); Defensive Coordinator (2013-14)
2015 Florida International Defensive Coordinator, Linebackers
2016-18 Kentucky Inside linebackers/Special Teams Coordinator (2016); Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers (2017-18)
2019-21 Kansas City Chiefs Linebackers
2022-23 LSU Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers

Matt House Postseason History

Year Bowl School
2001 Silicon Valley Classic Michigan State
2004 Continental Tire Bowl North Carolina
2008 NFC Playoffs Carolina (NFL)
2013 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Pittsburgh
2015 Armed Forces Bowl Pittsburgh
2016 TaxSlayer Bowl Kentucky
2017 Music City Bowl Kentucky
2018 Citrus Bowl Kentucky
2019 NFL Playoffs Super Bowl Champions
2020 NFL Playoffs Super Bowl Appearance
2021 NFL Playoffs AFC Conference Championship Game Appearance
2022 Citrus Bowl LSU