There’s no question last year was full of highs and lows for LSU.
On one hand, we watched a record-setting offense score the most points in college football, led by Heisman Trophy winner and the one-man highlight reel, Jayden Daniels. On the flip side, the Tigers’ defense was a constant source of frustration, ranking 79th in the country in scoring defense and 105th in the nation in total defense.
So it’s easy to see why Brian Kelly completely overhauled the defensive coaching staff this offseason, bringing in a slew of new names—and a few familiar faces—to lead the makeover.
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Baker isn’t too foreign a name around these parts. LSU’s new defensive coordinator returns to the team where he previously served as the linebackers coach in 2021. Baker spent the past two years at Missouri, where he boasted the nation’s No. 25 scoring defense and No. 33 total defense.
Davis’ name might also ring some bells. The LSU alum served as a grad assistant for the Tigers from 1995-1997, returning as a strength and conditioning coach in 2002 under Nick Saban. Davis later coached at Alabama and made multiple stops in the NFL, but he most recently transformed Texas’ defense into one of the top units in the country.
These two aren’t new faces to the coaching staff, but they have been promoted to co-offensive coordinators for 2024. The duo has big shoes to fill, taking over for Mike Denbrock, who helped orchestrate the dynamic, top-ranked offense that propelled Daniels to the Heisman. The Tigers will rely on Sloan and Hankton to try and recreate some of that magic despite losing the team’s leading passer, rusher and top two receivers.
He’s known as “The Godfather of DBU” for his nearly decade-long run recruiting and coaching some of LSU’s biggest talents—and now, he’s finally back in purple and gold. Raymond returning to LSU feels right on multiple levels, and his impending impact will be as highly anticipated as any after Tiger fans watched LSU rank as the No. 115 pass defense last year.
Peoples is following Baker to LSU from Missouri, where he helped assemble the fourth-best defense in the SEC. Peoples, who has accumulated more than 30 years of coaching experience, has also spent time at both Tulane and Northwestern State, so he has some familiarity with Louisiana.
Olsen is another assistant joining Baker in the move from Missouri to Baton Rouge. He returns to LSU, where he served as an analyst on the 2021 staff, and he will work with Raymond to rebuild the Tigers’ secondary. Like Peoples, Olsen has a lot of in-state coaching experience at Nicholls State, Louisiana-Monroe and Northwestern State.
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This article was originally published in 225 Magazine’s 2024 Tiger Pride edition.