GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan is still in that position as is defensive coordinator Blake Baker. Both just finished their first seasons in those roles at LSU and apparently are returning for the 2025 season as head coach Brian Kelly has not made any major staff changes.
The Tigers are coming off a three-game winning streak and 9-4 finish to the 2024 season after a 44-31 victory over Baylor in the Texas Bowl on Dec. 31 in Houston.
Sloan, at times, was seen as being on the way out, but only in overly emotional social media circles as the Tigers were losing three straight following a 6-1 start and No. 8 ranking in the Associated Press poll.
A hot rumor was that Sloan’s future at LSU was tied to him signing the nation’s No. 1-ranked high school quarterback, Bryce Underwood. But Underwood, a Detroit area native, flipped is commitment to LSU in November and signed with Michigan.
But Sloan remains. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier did improve dramatically late in the season after some suspect play in losses at Texas A&M and to Alabama.
Kelly hired Sloan, 38, on his first LSU staff going into the 2022 season as quarterbacks coach. He did that for two seasons under offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. When Denbrock returned to Notre Dame as offensive coordinator for the 2024 season, Kelly promoted Sloan to offensive coordinator. Sloan’s only previous experience as an offensive coordinator was in 2020 and ’21 at Louisiana Tech.
Baker, 42, had an up-and-down season in his first at LSU as defensive coordinator in 2024 after much success at Missouri’s defensive coordinator in 2022 and ’23.
Kelly knows that often coordinators experience a significant jump in quality from year one to year two.
So far, LSU has only lost one assistant coach since the end of the 2024 regular season. Special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Slade Nagle left in December for a promotion to offensive coordinator at Houston.
Meanwhile, Kelly is revamping his support staff. Former LSU running back Nick Brossette was not retained as the program’s director of alumni relations and high school outreach after three seasons. Brossette played for LSU from 2015-18 out of University High and gained 1,003 yards in his senior season.
Former LSU safety JaCoby Stevens (2017-20) was a recruiting assistant for the Tigers and has also not been retained.
And former LSU and Louisiana Tech wide receiver Paul Turner is leaving his offensive analyst spot at LSU to become wide receivers coach at North Carolina-Charlotte.
Kelly also may be losing defensive analyst Bob Diaco, who is expected to join coach Bill Belichick’s new staff at North Carolina as linebackers coach. A former Connecticut head coach, Diaco came to LSU as a defensive analyst in 2023, then was promoted to special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach for the ’23 season. But he was demoted back to analyst for the 2024 season.
Also in December, LSU lost defensive analyst Eddie Hicks to a cornerbacks coaching job at Cincinnati.
Be the first to comment