Welcome to college football in the great state of Louisiana. Already the center of the 2025-26 coaching cycle, things are about to get even more interesting in the Bayou State.
LSU's Blake Baker is widely considered one of the best defensive coordinators in the country and is paid accordingly with an annual salary of $2.5 million.
Known as a players' coach, Baker is easy to get along with and someone players want to play for, learn from and just be around.
Expected to be a centerpiece of Lane Kiffin's new staff, Baker also happens to be a former player at Tulane, and he's also deep, deep in the Green Wave's search for their new head coach. A decision on that one is expected today, and it is entirely possible the offer has already been extended.
As we wrote last night, the decision isn't so much a financial one for Baker, but a complicated one involving family, community and one that would impact other coaches on LSU's staff.
The long and short of that is: coaching your alma mater often sounds like a dream, until you have to do it. If you win and leave, the fans turn on you. If you don't win, they're going to turn on you anyway. Either way, the relationship you have with your school is never going to be the same once they become your employer.
Furthermore, Willie Fritz and Jon Sumrall raised the bar so high that 10-2 might seem like a disappointment.
Like we said, it's complicated.
If Baker takes the Tulane job, it's expected he would bring LSU edge rushers coach Kevin Peoples with him as his defensive coordinator.
In that very possible scenario, suddenly LSU has a large void to fill on defense. Kiffin typically gives his defensive coordinator nearly full autonomy to run that side of the ball. He needs someone he trusts and believes in, and Kiffin doesn't have a deep roster of former defensive coordinators that he has worked with who also are available. Well, other than his brother Chris, who has made the trip to Baton Rouge.
Chris Kiffin's one and only year as a defensive coordinator was for Lane at Florida Atlantic in 2017. He would then leave to go coach defensive line and linebackers in the league with the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans over the next six seasons before returning to work with Lane at Ole Miss shortly before the 2024 season.
As we shared last night, Lane isn't waiting on an answer from Blake, he's already set out to make one splash hire on the defensive side. Baker's decision could force Lane to make another, potentially more significant decision for LSU's defensive staff.
With Tulane competing tonight, at home, to win the American Conference, look for a decision on Tulane's next head coach to be public possibly later today and no later than tomorrow.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest news.