Former Kentucky defensive coordinator Matt House has brought versatility to LSU

LSU is a trendy pick to unseat Alabama and repeat in the SEC West. A former Kentucky staffer is playing a big role on Brian Kelly’s staff.

Matt House spent three seasons at Kentucky from 2016-18 serving as the linebackers coach first before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2017. During his final season in Lexington, House led a defense that finished No. 15 in points per drive (1.52) before leaving for a position job with the Kansas City Chiefs. When Brian Kelly needed to find a new defensive coordinator after Notre Dame named Marcus Freeman their new head coach, he went directly to the Mark Stoops coaching tree.

LSU made a hard push for Brad White, but Kentucky was able to up the ante and keep White in Lexington. From there, Kelly pivoted to House, who served as LSU’s defensive coordinator in 2022. In his first season, the Tigers finished No. 50 in points per drive (2.09), and Harold Perkins became one of the top defensive players in college football. Kelly liked the overall identity that House’s defenses had in Lexington and the style of play he could bring to Baton Rouge.

“I’ve known Matt for a long period of time. I knew him way back when I was at Central Michigan. But I got to know him better going up against him when I was at Notre Dame. He was at Pitt, he was at North Carolina State. I always hated going against his defenses,” White told the media at SEC Media Days. “They were versatile. They were difficult to read. There was unpredictability in them, and they changed from week to week.”

Perkins will be joined by Mekhi Wingo and Maason Smith as likely preseason All-SEC picks this week. After a good debut, LSU has the potential to be a top-10 defense, and they will be using a similar scheme to what we’ve seen Kentucky run under Stoops.

“I wanted that in the SEC,” Kelly said.