Blake Baker’s vision of LSU’s safety play continues under coach Lane Kiffin, praising Jake Olsen

LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker is pointing to the way his staff has held together the defensive foundation, spotlighting safeties coach Jake Olsen as a central figure in the progress the Tigers have made. In remarks reported by Yahoo Sports, Baker framed Olsen’s work as a key reason LSU’s secondary, particularly the safety group, has continued moving forward over the last two years.

The larger context is stability inside the defensive coaching room as LSU moves into the early stretch of Lane Kiffin’s head-coaching tenure. Baker’s comments come as the Tigers retained nearly all of their defensive staff from 2025, an approach that indicates the program is trying to preserve scheme continuity while new leadership sets the tone elsewhere on the roster and staff.

Baker’s praise also speaks to how coordinators typically protect the details of the defense, especially in the secondary, where communication, coverage responsibilities, and leverage decisions can depend heavily on coaching emphasis. The reported focus on Olsen suggests LSU sees its safety play as more than just a position group. It is a piece of the overall defensive identity Baker says he has built and now wants to keep refining.

While the exact mechanics of the safety coaching are not described in the available reporting, the takeaway is clear: Baker is still aligned with the staff members who helped construct the unit’s recent form. That continuity matters in college football because defensive installations do not reset neatly from one season to the next, even when personnel changes are inevitable.

The report also positions Baker’s decision to remain in place as part of that same philosophy. Baker is described as staying on to continue improving a defense he helped develop into one of the Southeastern Conference’s stronger units, while Olsen, in his safeties coaching role, remains a steady presence for the back end.

For LSU fans, the immediate watch item is whether the safety group’s development carries over through the new head coach’s first full competitive cycle. Bowl-to-bowl carryover is often where teams separate, and LSU’s emphasis on staff retention suggests the program is betting that performance gains can be sustained through coaching consistency.

More broadly, LSU’s choice to keep most of its defensive staff intact creates a measuring stick for how quickly new head-coach priorities can be integrated without disrupting what already works defensively. If the Tigers’ secondary remains organized and disciplined, Baker’s staff continuity will likely look like more than just good timing, it will look like an intentional long-term plan.

Still, the current picture is based on reported praise and staff-retention context rather than a detailed on-field breakdown. As the season approaches, the proof will be in game-plan execution, coverage outcomes, and how the safeties fit within the full defensive call sheet under Kiffin’s team leadership.