When Coach Brian Kelly took the job at LSU in December 2021 and signed a ten-year contract, he probably thought sometime during that decade long deal, Nick Saban would retire.
It turns out Kelly only had to deal with Saban for two years.
His retirement gives top-tier programs like LSU an easier road to winning an SEC title.
Alabama will still be a force for at least the next few years, but there’s no way they will flex their muscles like they did with Saban roaming the sidelines, nine SEC titles in 17 years and six national championships.
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LSU is trying to put themselves in position to be a perennial championship contender. The resources they are pouring into their new defensive assistant coaches is impressive.
New defensive coordinator Blake Baker is set to make 2.5 million dollars this year making him the highest paid assistant coach in college football.
On Wednesday, LSU announced the addition of Bo Davis to the staff. The former LSU nose guard will reportedly make 1.25 million dollars, which is more than the one million he made at Texas.
Davis is considered one of the best defensive line coaches in college football, producing 17 all-conference selections and seven All-Americans in 12 seasons as a D-Line coach in college football.
This past season Davis coached the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, T’Vondre Sweat, who also won the Outland Trophy.
LSU is apparently not stopping at just one defensive line coach. Football Scoop is reporting the Tigers are also pursuing defensive line coach Kevin Peoples. Football Scoop speculates Peoples would coach the defensive ends, while Davis would work with the interior linemen.
Peoples has 30 years of coaching experience and spent four seasons as Tulane’s defensive line coach, helping the Green Wave win back-to-back bowl games in 2018 and 2019.
Looking ahead to LSU’s 2025 recruiting class, the Tigers have three five-star recruits already and the class is ranked number one by on3.com.
Now there are still some big question marks on the current roster. LSU is depleted at defensive tackle, the defensive secondary remains a major question mark.
Garrett Nussmeier is more than a capable SEC quarterback, but you can’t count on him to bail out the defense like Jayden Daniels did.
But you can tell there’s a sense of urgency based on the recent coaching hires, LSU is recruiting at a high level, and it looks like the Tigers are ready to take their place near the top of the SEC as Alabama comes back down to earth.