LSU Might Be In National Title Game With Decent D: Tigers Targeting Mizzou's Blake Baker, Should Also Consider Michigan DC

BATON ROUGE, La. - With just an average or even bad defense, the LSU Tigers may be preparing to play No. 1 Michigan or No. 2 Washington in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday in Houston (7:30 p.m., ESPN).

Instead, LSU fielded one of the worst defenses in program history. And the Tigers ended up barely beating an unranked, 7-5 Wisconsin in something called the Reliaquest Bowl in Tampa on Monday, 35-31. No. 13 LSU (10-3) never led until the final minutes when quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw a 4-yard touchdown to Brian Thomas Jr. for the win.

The Tigers' defense allowed 506 yards and a season-high 378 passing yards to quarterback Tanner Mordecai. And Mordecai is just coming off surgery on his throwing hand in October.

LSU's Weak Defense Kept It Out Of The Playoffs

LSU finished the 2023-24 season 115th of 130 upper level teams in pass defense with 255.6 yards allowed a game for 13th in the 14-team Southeastern Conference. The Tigers also finished 13th in the league and 105th nationally in total defense with 416.6 yards allowed a game. They ended up 13th and 78th in points allowed (28) as well.

The offense, meanwhile, finished No. 1 in the nation in total yards per game at 543.5 behind Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jayden Daniels. LSU led the nation in scoring with 45.5 points a game and was third in passing yards at 338.9. Daniels finished No. 1 in the nation in passing efficiency at 208.0 and threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns.

LSU coach Brian Kelly's poor defense led to a season-opening loss against Florida State, 45-24, in Orlando, Florida, on Sept. 3. (Photo by Joe Petro via Getty Images)

And two days after that bowl win, LSU coach Brian Kelly fired defensive coordinator Matt House. Kelly also fired cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples, safeties coach Kerry Cooks and defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey.

Some of LSU's defensive players were not unhappy with House moving, according to a video in the story below:

So, forget recruiting and the transfer portal for the moment, Kelly needs a new DC.

One candidate Kelly should target if he hasn't already is still working. That would be Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. He will be a little busy through next Monday. But perhaps he is concerned about the impending NCAA sanctions coming to the Wolverines program under head coach Jim Harbaugh - whether he hits the NFL or not.

The NCAA is investigating Michigan on two fronts - recruiting violations during COVID and the more serious illegal scouting and sign stealing that suspended Harbaugh for the last three games this season. Michigan self-suspended Harbaugh for the first three games of 2023, hoping that would lighten its sanctions for the recruiting violations.

Michigan's Jesse Minter Should Be Considered For DC At LSU

Minter, 40, is a rising star and has only been at Michigan for the last two seasons. Well traveled, he has defensive back coaching experience in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens and has also coached at Vanderbilt, Indiana State and Georgia State.

His Michigan defense this season is his greatest accomplishment. The Wolverines are No. 1 in the nation in total defense (243.1 yards allowed a game) and in scoring defense (10.2 points given up a game). They are also No. 2 against the pass (150 yards allowed a game). And he improved on stellar numbers by his 2022-23 defense. Michigan was No. 5 in total defense (292 yards a game) and No. 7 in points allowed (16.1 a game). His passing defense improved drastically from a No. 20 finish a year ago at 194.2 yards given up a game.

Kelly may be considering Missouri defensive coordinator Blake Baker, who was LSU's linebackers coach in 2021. But Kelly did not retain him when he took over at LSU after that season. Baker's defense finished fifth in the SEC and 33rd nationally in total yards allowed last season with 336.1 a game in his second season at Mizzou. His wife Roslyn Jones is a former LSU soccer player. He previously was defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech from 2015-18.

Washington co-defensive coordinators William Inge and Chuck Morrell should be considered by Kelly along with Oregon co-defensive coordinators Chris Hampton and Tosh Lupoi.

LSU Just Finished Paying Off Defensive Coordinator Bo Pelini

This will be a huge hire for Kelly, particularly considering LSU's recent past. House is LSU's second horrible defensive coordinator out of the last three. Former coach Ed Orgeron hired then-Youngstown State head coach Bo Pelini to be his DC for the 2020 season.

Pelini had success as LSU's DC in 2007, and the Tigers won the national championship. But he had lost it by 2020. Pelini's defense that year was the worst in LSU history. The Tigers finished 124th out of 127 upper level schools in total defense with 492 yards allowed a game. Pelini's unit was dead last against the pass at No. 127 with 323 yards allowed a game.

Orgeron fired Pelini following the 2020 season at a cost to LSU of $4 million in installments through March of 2023. LSU owed Pelini $5.2 million when it fired him for the remaining two years on his contract through the 2022 season, but the two parties came to a settlement of $1.2 million below that.

LSU now owes House approximately another $4 million for the remaining two years on his deal at $2 million a year. LSU owes the other three fired coaches a total of roughly $1.2 million. That's $8 million LSU will have paid Pelini and House not to continue coaching bad defense.

Brian Kelly Thanked The 4 LSU Coaches He Fired

"I want to thank each of these coaches for their work on behalf of our program and our institution during their time here," Kelly said in a statement.

Kelly hired House away from the linebackers coaching job with the Kansas City Chiefs following the 2021 season shortly after Kelly left Notre Dame to become LSU's head coach.

Matt House was on the Chiefs' staff in the 2019 season that won Super Bowl LIV. Before that, he was defensive coordinator at Kentucky, Florida International and Pittsburgh.

Steeples and Cooks were both coached two years under Kelly at LSU. Brian Kelly hired Lindsey just last May, but Lindsey stepped away from coaching last August because of health reasons.

"Decisions like these are always difficult, and we do not take them lightly," Kelly said. "But they are made with the best interests of our program and student-athletes in mind."

LSU finished the season 10-3 overall and tied for second in SEC at 6-2 with Ole Miss. The Rebels won the tiebreaker for second with a 55-49 win over LSU, gaining 706 total yards in the process.

Kelly must see to it that LSU's defense gets drastically better.