By KACE KIESCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
The Lane Kiffin era at LSU has come with a rebuild of just about every facet of Tigers football.
New Athletics Director Verge Ausberry hired Kiffin after his predecessor, Scott Woodward, was fired. Kiffin brought over an almost completely new offensive staff when he replaced former head coach Brian Kelly and his regime. Even the roster itself is built up of mostly newcomers, highlighted by the nation’s top-ranked, 41-player transfer class.
Kiffin said those changes seem to be paying off.
“I’m very pleased where our team is actually, which I’m normally not right now, but obviously we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Kiffin said in his post-practice press conference Thursday. “No problems in players’ attitudes and playing physical, we repeated goal line today because we weren’t as physical as we’d like defensively, and so, continuing to work through things.”
That transition may have been eased by one area in Kiffin’s coaching staff that did not see as much turnover — the defense. Kiffin said he retained the third-year defensive coordinator after speaking with people who worked with the coach and got to know him and his process. Kiffin said he did have some impressions of Baker as an opposing coach while at Ole Miss.
“I thought Blake was really complicated on third down and did a really good job giving people problems,” he said. “Always noticed him on the sideline with high energy, and very interactive with the players and have been really impressed with how he connects with the players having been here.”
As Kiffin has gotten a closer look at Baker through spring practice, summer organized team activities and more than a week of fall camp, he said that perception has only continued to improve.
“It’s been great,” Kiffin said. “He’s extremely competitive out there. I think that’s very important when you have two coordinators that are really sharp, so they make each other better and expose problems to the other side.”
Kiffin gives much of the credit for his often prolific offenses to coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., who has followed Kiffin from Florida Atlantic to Ole Miss and now LSU. While the pair form an accomplished dynamic duo on the offensive side of the ball, Kiffin brought back a familiar face to assist Baker’s defense.
Former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron returned to Baton Rouge as a special assistant to recruiting and defense. Coach O, of course, led the team for nearly six years and won a national title as the Tigers’ head coach in 2019 but had not taken a coaching job with any other team since being fired in 2021.
Kiffin said the Larose native is meant to be at LSU. “I think it’s the perfect situation for everybody involved,” he said.
In addition to bringing 32 years of coaching experience to the defense, Kiffin said Orgeron is a game changer in recruiting.
“You get a great coach, get his energy, all the things you know about him, but to come back to LSU and his passion for the state and the players of the state and growing up here and what that means, obviously having won a national championship on top of that,” Kiffin said. “Then also working for me, we have a background, and it’s pretty easy for him to sit and sell to a kid why to come to LSU and why to play for this head coach more than anyone else on the planet could sell.”
WR Winnie Watkins Missed Practice Likely With Injury
Ole Miss transfer wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. missed his third straight practice on Thursday. The sophomore was not seen during the portion of practice open to the media, and Kiffin said it is his policy not to give details on individual injuries until official reports are released.
“He’s not out there, and we hope he comes back soon,” Kiffin said, “But he’s had a great camp up to that point and done really well and really has been a good leader too.”
Watkins was one of the four former Rebels to follow their head coach to Baton Rouge. Watkins made 26 catches for 373 yards and one touchdown in 15 games as a true freshman last year. He has the potential to be a top target for the Tigers this season if he can stay healthy.
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