Lane Kiffin’s social media activity since taking over as LSU’s head coach reflects his enthusiasm for his inaugural season in Baton Rouge. From assembling a high-profile transfer portal class to boosting his coaching staff with key additions, the former Ole Miss head coach appears well-positioned to lead LSU toward a College Football Playoff run in 2026.
Analyst Praises Lane Kiffin’s LSU Staff Moves After Succeeding Brian Kelly
After being hired as LSU’s head coach, Kiffin mainly retained key members of the defensive staff and front office from Brian Kelly’s previous regime. Kiffin kept the right personnel and blended the team effectively, which is why he earned high praise from Louisiana Sports’ Matt Moscona.
“When Brian Kelly came in, his first inclination was there was all this bad, clean house, and they turned over like 30 staff members,” Moscona said. “What Lane Kiffin did in coming in, I think, is very smart, is he talked to enough people who know the inner workings of how to win here and identified who the guys are they needed to retain.
“It would have been so easy for Lane to come in and uproot everything, bring in his people and just say, ‘This is how we’re going to do it.’ But I think he’s done a really, really good job of identifying the key staffers that they wanted to retain and finding a way to blend the staff as best that they can.”
Kiffin retained key defensive staff to maintain continuity, including defensive coordinator Blake Baker, cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond, and other defensive personnel such as Kevin Peoples and Jake Olsen.
Baker had led the LSU defense for the previous two seasons and was a high-priority retention for Kiffin. Tulane visited him the morning of Dec. 4, and Memphis visited him that evening, both offering him his first head-coaching opportunity. However, Baker chose to remain at LSU under a new three-year, $9.3 million contract.
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“Blake’s done a great job,” Kiffin said during an appearance on ESPN for the Texas Bowl between LSU and Houston. “We’re excited to keep him as well as a lot of the defensive players, I think, and keep the system the same so there’s not so much transition.”
Raymond is also known for his elite recruiting, and in his return last season, cornerback Mansoor Delane was named a Thorpe Award Finalist. With Baker and Raymond, LSU ranked No. 4 in the SEC in points allowed per game in 2025 and earned an 84.6 score in the PFSN College Football Defense Impact Metric.
Kiffin also retained LSU Director of Football Operations Jon Randall Belton and promoted him to Assistant General Manager. He arrived in Baton Rouge in 2021 and previously served as Director of Scouting and LSU’s Director of Recruiting from 2022 to 2025 under Kelly.
Meanwhile, Kiffin hired several key Ole Miss staff members for his new staff at LSU, including offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., tight ends coach Joe Cox, running backs coach Kevin Smith, and wide receivers coach George McDonald.
