LSU set to hire Missouri assistant Kevin Peoples as an assistant coach

The LSU Tigers are set to hire an assistant football coach from the Missouri Tigers. LSU is going to hire former Missouri assistant Kevin Peoples, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Friday evening. The report did not mention what position or role Peoples would take on the LSU staff.

He worked with the defensive line/edge rushers with the Missouri Tigers. It’s just the latest move by LSU head coach Brian Kelly in overhauling the defensive staff for the Tigers this offseason. Peoples will be joining former Missouri assistant Blake Baker on the LSU staff.

What LSU is getting in new defensive coordinator Blake Baker

Baker emerged as a top candidate for the LSU opening on Thursday after helping Missouri put together an impressive 2023 season. The Tigers ranked No. 5 in the SEC in total defense, holding teams to 336.1 yards per game.

LSU, meanwhile, allowed 416.6 yards per game, which ranked 13th in the SEC, and gave up 35 points five times in 13 games. That ultimately led Kelly to part ways with House on Wednesday, and he now has his replacement in the plans.

It’s a return to Baton Rouge for Blake Baker, who was previously on Ed Orgeron’s staff as linebackers coach in 2021 before joining forces with Eli Drinkwitz at Missouri. He started his coaching career in 2009 at the high school level, but latched on at Texas as a graduate assistant from 2010-12. He then became the safeties coach at Arkansas State in 2013 and took the same role at Louisiana Tech in 2014.

In 2015, Louisiana Tech promoted Baker to defensive coordinator, and he stayed in that role until 2018 when he left to become the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Miami. After two years there, he made his way to LSU as linebackers coach under Orgeron, and eventually headed to Columbia in 2021.

On3’s Nick Schultz also contributed to this article.