Choosing a national title chase over a $7.6 billion NFL franchise, LSU safeties coach Jake Olsen is staying in Baton Rouge to finish what he started with the Tigers in Lane Kiffin’s inaugural season.

For a minute there, it looked like Olsen was heading to the pros to join the Washington Commanders franchise. The Commanders’ new defensive coordinator, Daronte Jones, was hell-bent on locking in Olsen. Losing him would’ve shattered folks in Baton Rouge, especially since he just helped the Tigers’ secondary reach some impressive milestones in 2025.

The connection to Washington was genuine, as Jones and Olsen worked together at LSU back in 2021. Usually, when the NFL comes calling, especially with a former coworker, coaches often jump at the chance without a second thought. But after weighing his options, Olsen decided his work with the Tigers wasn’t finished.

This is a big win for Kiffin as he tries to safeguard some stability in the program in his inaugural season. Olsen has been coaching the safeties for the last two seasons. He has a very solid relationship with defensive coordinator Blake Baker. That chemistry was a key ingredient in forging a dominant 2025 defense that surged into the national Top-25. It’s a suffocating unit that held opponents to just 18.3 points and 204.6 passing yards per game, ranking among the SEC’s elite.

Olsen’s decision is part of a larger trend of loyalty within Kiffin’s new staff. In January, Blake Baker turned down a HC promotion to stay with Lane at his alma mater. As a Tulane alum with deep roots in the area, the head coaching job there seemed like a natural fit for the LSU DC. Like Olsen, he also interviewed for the Memphis head coach role after meeting Lane Kiffin.

Olsen has developed potential first-round or second-round draft prospects like A.J. Haulcy. The former Houston athlete is easily in the top 3 or 4 in this year’s draft. He ended his career at Baton Rouge with All-America honors under Olsen’s guidance after racking up 88 tackles and 3 interceptions. Olsen’s impact was so deep that LSU became the only team in the country in 2025 to record more interceptions (17) than passing touchdowns allowed.

With spring practice kicking off on March 24, having the staff settled allows everyone to focus purely on football. Olsen’s ready for the 2026 season under his current contract. At the end of the day, letting his NFL dream slide for a minute and having faith in Lane Kiffin is a big gamble, but one that Olsen feels is worth taking.

With Olsen officially back in the fold and on the books, let’s look at how their safety room is looking for next year.

LSU Tigers safety room for next season

LSU’s safety room is looking absolutely stacked for 2026. Even with A.J. Haulcy departing for the NFL, the Tigers have depth for days. The projected starters are likely to be Tamarcus Cooley and Dashawn Spears. Both have combined for four picks last year. Needless to say, they already know the defensive system inside and out.

To make the group even scarier, the Tigers hit the transfer portal hard to find replacements for departing stars. They brought in veteran Ty Benefield, a tackling machine from Boise State, and also poached promising safety Faheem Delane from Ohio State to bolster the secondary.

Overall, this room is the perfect mix of old heads and young stars who are ready to break out. Solely based on that, fans should expect a unit that is aggressive and can be very good at forcing turnovers as they chase a national title this fall.