Brian Kelly on why he hired Matt House as his defensive coordinator

Brian Kelly brought Matt House to LSU as the Tigers defensive coordinator for his revitalization of the program. In a press conference on Wednesday, Kelly revealed what led him to hiring House as one of his top assistants.

“First and foremost, somebody that communicates effectively,” started Kelly, when asked what he was looking for when hiring House. “Can develop his staff. You know, this isn’t about what you know. This is about how you can empower others. Matt has a proven track record of being able to bring others along with him, and develop them. Players and coaches alike.

“So, I think I’m looking at how they bring the room together. You know, other coaches, and then players. You know, his work at Kentucky was outstanding. The development of the defense through the years at Kansas City — obviously — were big. Got a chance to watch him first hand at Pittsburgh. You know, went against him there. Loved the way he made adjustments, and things of that nature. So, I think some first hand.

“But I think what I’m looking for in particular is the ability to not only have the knowledge of the position, but how that knowledge is developed amongst the other members of the staff, as well.”

As you can see, Kelly was impressed with the successful track record House possesses. Evidently, certain stops stand out, like House’s time in Pittsburgh as the Panthers’ secondary coach, and in Kentucky as the defensive coordinator of the Wildcats. Additionally, Kelly pointed out House’s most recent gig, where he was with the Kansas City Chiefs as their linebackers coach.

Brian Kelly is elated to have Matt House as his defensive coordinator. Listening to the coach speak about his hiring, it’s easy to see the joy in his voice.

Brian Kelly on LSU roster: ‘We’re not ready to play.’

While Brian Kelly waxed poetic about Matt House, he didn’t do the same for the LSU roster. When asked about his team, Kelly gave a harsh assessment on his program.

“We’re not ready to play,” stated Kelly. “If we have to play tomorrow, we’re not ready yet. But we will be ready. It’s going to be a process for us. I like the facts — like many teams that I’ve had in the past, at this time, this is the fifth time I’ve done this — there’s a want to. They recognize, and they are aware of what they’ve done the last two years. Cumulatively, it’s been .500. And that’s not good enough. So there is a desire to want to change that. And so, there is that want to.

“Now, we’ve got a lot of things that we’ve got to work on to be the championship program that we want to be. But I guess like everything else, as long as we have a group of players that are committed to do what we want to do here, we’re pretty confident that we can get them there come opening day.”

Brian Kelly is no stranger to having to build a program out of dark times. Evidently, he believes he’ll have no problem doing so once again at LSU.