When Lane Kiffin boarded the plane for Baton Rouge, he did not plan to travel alone. The 50-year-old reportedly threatened to take his offensive staff with him. While the plan was to keep the Tigers’ defensive staff intact under DC Blake Baker, the new LSU HC might be facing a new reality check.

“Blake Baker interviewed for the Tulane job today and crushed his interview,” Barstool sports reporter Liam Blutman posted on X. “It’s his job to lose, heavy heavy favorite. Tulane HC, LSU DC, and Florida DC are all in the realm of possibilities. I believe he will take the Tulane HC job. I will update if I get intel.”

Baker remains in contention for the job after Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall accepted the head coaching position at Florida. Plus, the 43-year-old also played his college ball at Tulane from 2000 to 2004. This makes the Green Wave offer even more tempting. Moreover, his impact on LSU screams for attention.

He arrived in 2024 and delivered immediate results. LSU’s 2023 defense was one of the worst in SEC history 2023. This year, as per ESPN’s SP+, the unit ranked No. 9 nationally. Baker did a commendable job in transforming LSU’s loose defense from historic lows into the nation’s No. 16 scoring unit in 2025. The secondary cracked the Top 25 in total defense and swiped 21 turnovers over 12 games.

Blake Baker was supposed to be the steady pillar on Lane Kiffin’s first staff, the DC who just dragged LSU’s defense from punchline to problem and cashed a $2.5 million‑per‑year deal to do it. It also made him the highest-paid assistant coach in the country at the time. Now he’s slipping down to New Orleans to interview for the Tulane head job.

Baker climbed the ladder with stops at Texas under Mack Brown. He also had certain gigs at Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Miami, and Missouri before his rise at LSU. The 43-year-old brought in players like CB Mansoor Delane from Virginia Tech and S AJ Haulcy from Houston, both of whom turned into standouts. Then there’s 5‑star corner DJ Pickett, who is already being talked about like the next LSU DBU headliner. That’s the profile of a future head coach, not just a career coordinator. For Kiffin, this is the early‑tenure stress test.

Reunion at Baton Rouge for Lane Kiffin

Lane Kiffin’s first order of business in Baton Rouge is building his staff, and he’s already making waves by bringing in several familiar faces from Oxford. He’s all set to turn LSU’s staff into an instant powerhouse before the ink dries on his $90 million deal. First up, Charlie Weis Jr. hops aboard as offensive coordinator. The play-calling wizard has been Kiffin’s right-hand schemer for years. And now he is ready to unleash air-raid magic on LSU’s talent.

This comes after, according to the report, Lane Kiffin told the Ole Miss offensive coaches, “Come with me today, or there won’t be a spot for you.”

Joe Cox tags along as co-OC and tight ends coach. He is the 39-year-old Alabama alum who sharpened Ole Miss tight ends in 2024 after SEC seasoning. George McDonald, wide receivers coach, wraps his second Ole Miss stint to coach LSU’s speed demons, fresh off Illinois assistant head duties. Then there’s the ops squad. Thaddeus Rivers as senior associate AD for football operations, and Mike Williams (ex-NFL scout with Rams and 49ers cred) as senior director of player personnel, are in the mix.

Lastly, Billy Glasscock as GM, Sarkisian’s old Texas guy, who Kiffin swears by for roster wizardry. Don’t sleep on Chris Kiffin on linebackers. These hires are proven winners who know his tempo offense and SEC grind. Why? Ole Miss went 55-19 under him; now LSU gets that juice minus the rebuild.