TIGER RAG NEWS SERVICES
Lane Kiffin could be looking to bolster Blake Baker’s LSU defensive staff with a familiar face. LSU is working to add former Baylor Head coach and Tigers defensive coordinator Dave Aranda in a defensive analyst-type role, CBS Sports reports.
Aranda previously served as LSU’s defensive coordinator from 2016-2019. He led the Tigers to top 25 finishes in total defense in three of his four seasons commanding the defense and was an integral part of the 15-0 2019 season. After helping the Tigers to a national championship, he was hired as the head coach at Baylor. He led the Bears to a 40-40 record as head coach before being fired after a 4-3 start to the 2026 season.
The defensive guru also has experience facing off against Kiffin that may have garnered him some extra respect from the new head-man in Baton Rouge. Kiffin and Aranda have gone head-to-head four times in their respective coaching careers. Kiffin got the better of Aranda in the first three. His offenses lit up the scoreboard in a 49-36 win over Aranda’s Hawaii defense while he was head coach at USC in 2010 and a 35-17 victory when he was Alabama’s offensive coordinator and Aranda was Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator in 2015. But Aranda’s LSU defense held Alabama to a 10-0 win in 2016, and Baylor stifled Ole Miss in a 21-7 2021 Sugar Bowl matchup in their only meeting as opposing head coaches.
Baker has received a lot of head coaching buzz and reportedly considered taking over as the Tulane head coach last offseason before opting to return to LSU. He will likely field several job offers this offseason after leading the Tigers to another dominant defensive performance. If he was to depart for a head coaching job, Aranda could emerge as a popular in-house candidate to replace him.
Be the first to comment