BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU hired Missouri defensive coordinator Blake Baker to lead its defense Friday and gave him a three-year contract that will pay $2.5 million annually, a person with direct knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because LSU had not announced the terms of the contract.
The annual salary makes Baker the highest-paid assistant coach in the country, according to USA Today's salary database.
Baker replaces Matt House, who was fired by head coach Brian Kelly along with three other defensive assistants this week. LSU (10-3) ranked 109th in the country in yards per play allowed at 6.14.
Baker was linebackers coach at LSU in 2021, but was not retained when Kelly took over after that season for the fired Ed Orgeron.
“Blake brings a wealth of experience and success as a defensive coordinator throughout his career, including the last two years in the SEC at Missouri,” Kelly said in a statement. “His ability to develop and motivate his players while putting together highly successful defenses sets him apart in his field. I am excited to welcome Blake and his family back to Baton Rouge.”
Baker spent two seasons as Missouri's defensive coordinator, where he helped improve a defense that had been among the worst in the country in 2021. Missouri has ranked sixth in the Southeastern Conference in yards per play each of the last two seasons.
Baker also did stints as defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech and Miami before landing at LSU in 2021.
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