Blake Baker Season 2025
Blake Baker joined the LSU staff in January of 2024 and enters his second season as the program’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Since returning to LSU, Baker has worked to instill the defensive traits that have been a hallmark of the program for many years. With an aggressive front and press-man coverage at cornerback, Baker’s defensive philosophy made tremendous strides in his initial season as defensive coordinator with the Tigers in 2024.
Baker is in his second stint at LSU as he previously coached the Tiger linebackers in 2021 where in one season, he transformed linebacker Damone Clark into an All-America. He arrived at LSU with eight years of defensive coordinator experience at the FBS level, including two years at Missouri (2022-23), two at Miami (2019-20) and four at Louisiana Tech (2015-18).
In his first year back at LSU, Baker began his transformation of the Tiger defense, a unit that shaved more than 50 yards per game from its average in 2023. Despite losing All-America candidate Harold Perkins in game 5 vs. UCLA and starting defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory in game 2, Baker’s defense still played a significant role in the Tigers winning nine games capped with a victory over Baylor in the Texas Bowl.
The injury of Perkins gave Whit Weeks the opportunity to flourish as the sophomore earned first-team All-SEC honors and finished second in the SEC in total tackles with 125. Meanwhile, edge rusher Bradyn Swinson earned second-team All-SEC honors and finished in the Top 10 in the league in sacks (8.5) and tackles for loss (13.0).
Baker’s 2024 defense gave a glimpse into what lies ahead for the Tigers as the unit had five true freshmen combine for 12 starts over the course of the season. In LSU’s bowl win over Baylor, the Tigers had as many as six freshmen (redshirt and true) on the field in the second half of the 44-31 victory.
Some of the defensive highlights for the Tigers in 2024 include limiting South Carolina to only nine second half points as LSU rallied from a 17-0 first half deficit to win; holding UCLA scoreless in the second half and to only 14 rushing yards; allowing only two second half field goals and one in overtime in a comeback win over Ole Miss; and keeping Oklahoma scoreless and to 123 total yards in the second half of a 37-17 win.
Prior to his arrival at LSU, Baker helped Missouri to an 11-win season and a Top 10 national ranking in 2023. Baker served as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Missouri for two seasons helping the Tigers win 18 games and appear in a pair of bowl games.
Baker’s 2023 Missouri defense played a vital role in the Tigers going 11-2 overall and capping the season with a 14-3 win over No. 7 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Missouri’s 11 wins were the most for the school in nearly a decade. In the win over Ohio State, Missouri held the Buckeyes without a touchdown for the first time since the 2016 season.
As a unit in 2023, Missouri ranked No. 4 in the SEC in scoring defense (20.8 points per game) and No. 5 in the league in both rushing defense (122.8) and total defense (336.1). Missouri led the SEC and ranked No. 4 nationally in fumbles forced (17) and they were No. 11 in the nation in sacks with 39. The Tigers were also among the Top 20 in the nation in fumbles recovered (No. 16 with 10) and tackles for loss (No. 18 with 88).
Missouri’s 2023 defense featured three players who earned All-SEC honors – defensive end Darius Robinson, linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper and defensive back Kris Abrams-Draine.
In his previous season at LSU in 2021, Baker’s top linebacker was All-American Damone Clark, who went on to become a fifth round NFL Draft pick and is currently a starter for the Dallas Cowboys. Clark had a breakout season under Baker in 2021, ranking No. 2 in the nation in tackles with 135 tackles to go along with 5.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. Clark was a finalist for the Butkus Award that year.
Baker joined Miami in 2019 after four years as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Louisiana Tech. In his first year with the Hurricanes in 2019, he oversaw a Miami defense that ranked No. 13 nationally in total defense and 12th in the nation in yards allowed per play. The 2019 Hurricane defense also ranked among the Top 20 in the nation in rush defense (No. 10), redzone defense (No. 16) and pass defense (No. 18).
Two linebackers – Michael Pinckney and Shaq Quarterman – from Baker’s 2019 defense earned All-ACC recognition. Quarterman was selected in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. His 2020 defense featured first team All-America defensive end Jaelan Phillips.
Prior to arriving in Coral Gables, Baker spent four seasons (2015-18) as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Louisiana Tech where the Bulldogs had one of the nation’s top defenses when it came to impact plays. Baker worked alongside current LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan all four years at Louisiana Tech.
In 2018, Louisiana Tech ranked No. 4 in the nation in sacks per game, No. 12 in tackles for loss and No. 33 in turnovers gained.
Baker’s star defender at Louisiana Tech was All-America Jaylon Ferguson, who led the nation in sacks (17.5) and ranked No. 2 nationally in tackles for loss with 26.5 in 2018. Ferguson was a third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
As a unit, Louisiana Tech led Conference USA in rush defense in 2015 and finished second in the league in total defense that year. The Bulldogs were third in C-USA in rush defense in 2016.
Prior to being elevated to defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech, Baker coached the safeties for the Bulldogs in 2014. He spent the 2013 season as the safeties coach at Arkansas State.
Baker got his start in collegiate coaching at Texas, where he was a graduate assistant for the Longhorns from 2010-12. At Texas, Baker worked with the linebackers and defensive backs, two position groups that featured eight All-Big 12 selections over that span. He also coached All-America linebacker and Lott Trophy finalist Emmanuel Acho and 2011 Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year Quandre Diggs.
Prior to joining the Texas staff, Baker worked as wide receivers coach in 2019 at Clear Springs High School in Houston, Texas, before taking over duties as linebackers coach the following spring.
The Houston native was a four-year letterman and three-year starter at linebacker for Tulane from 2000-04. In 42 career games, he racked up 145 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and six sacks. In 2001 against LSU in Tiger Stadium, Baker recovered a fourth quarter fumble for the Green Wave. The following year he helped lead the Green Wave to a win in the 2002 Hawaii Bowl. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Tulane in 2008.
Baker is married to the former Roslyn Jones of Mandeville, La., and the couple has a daughter, Anderson, and two sons, Byron and Brady. His wife is a former All-SEC soccer player for LSU.
Blake Baker File
Year at LSU: Third (appointed Jan. 6, 2024)
Birthdate: July 10, 1982
Hometown: Houston, Texas
College: Tulane
Wife: Roslyn
Children: Anderson, Byron, and Brady
Coaching Experience
2009 Clear Springs (Texas) High School
2010-12 Texas (Graduate Assistant)
2013 Arkansas State (safeties)
2014-18 Louisiana Tech (safeties, 2014; defensive coordinator/linebackers, 2015-18)
2019-20 Miami (defensive coordinator/linebackers)
2021 LSU (linebackers)
2022-23 Missouri (defensive coordinator/linebackers)
2024-25 LSU (defensive coordinator)
Playing Experience
2000-04 Tulane (linebacker)