Brian Kelly impressed with LSU's new defensive staff early in spring

For the first 20 minutes of LSU’s practice on Thursday morning, head coach Brian Kelly spent the entire time on the defensive end of the field. One after another, he watched his new defensive staff continue to take on the challenge of rebuilding this defense during the spring months.

Kelly bounced from one position group to another, not saying too much, but taking note of how drills were being run and how the new coaches were teaching.

The first two years of his regime in Baton Rouge, Kelly was largely focused on the offense. As an offensive-leaning head coach, he always had his attention on the quarterbacks, offensive line, and tight ends, but this year calls for a change in that approach. 

After fielding one of the worst defenses in the SEC, Kelly is committed to finding answers on that side of the ball and it starts in the spring as the foundation is laid.

“I’ve really enjoyed the past six weeks, being in constant contact with the defensive staff we’ve assembled,” Kelly said. “For me, it’s been very comfortable. They’re great communicators. We’re all on the same page relative to what we’re teaching, how we’re teaching it, evaluations in recruiting. It’s been a really smooth transition. I like what we’re demanding and the attention to the real details of playing defense. We’re not getting ahead of ourselves in a sense of understanding the basic tenets of playing really good defense and you can see that early on. We’re going to see a defense that plays with a lot of energy and I know our guys are excited, you can tell by the way they’re practicing the last couple of days.”

Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Blake Baker leads the way, even as one of the younger faces in the room. His youthful energy paired with an awesome intensity and knowledge of the linebacker position plays a key role in getting the Tigers back on track this season. 

With the most talented position group on the defense, Bakers’ unit has to lead this defense as players like Harold Perkins. Greg Penn, and Whit Weeks will be tasked with being dynamic playmakers. Baker did the same with Damone Clark a few years ago at LSU and now will need to replicate that success.

“There’s no question Clark has been a really good pro and had a great career here and Blake was part of that,” Kelly said. “Damone has already been back and I’ve talked to him about Blake and what he’s meant to him, so clearly that has excited our linebackers. Those kinds of situations are always beneficial, but it’s a new group of guys and he has to do it all over again and he knows that.”

Along with Baker, Kelly added defensive line coach Bo Davis, safeties coach Jake Olsen, edge rushers coach Kevin Peoples, and secondary coach Corey Raymond.

Raymond in particular is a fan favorite for what he’s done at LSU in the past, but it’s a blank slate for him as he enters 2024. Nothing is locked down and with a group of players that he mostly did not recruit, the learning process has only begun.

“I’ve been really happy with Corey’s attention to detail, his interactions with the defensive backs. We have a number of new guys and then all the other freshmen, now sophomores who he had no idea who they were. He’s got a whole group of guys he’s had to re-introduce himself to and he’s done a really good job with that. Everybody talks about his recruiting, and it’s outstanding, but what I’ve been impressed with is his ability to engage and connect with the players that are here.”

Spring ball is only two practices old, but Kelly has continuously praised the player leadership of this team. Coming off a year where the defense lost several veterans across the board, it’s a positive to know new faces have stepped up in their spots without having to take a large group of transfers. It’s the cohesion that will help the Tigers get back to being a quality defense in 2024.

“It’s really about getting the team into football related activities,” Kelly said. “Instillation, relative to your offense and defense. We have some new coaches, so getting them in the flow of things and essentially how we want the practices to look.”