Bo Davis, the defensive line coach at LSU, is heading to the NFL after just one season on the Tiger Stadium sidelines. Davis was recruited to coach the same position for the New Orleans Saints by newly appointed head coach Kellen Moore, who continued to raid collegiate coaching ranks. Many believed that Brian Kelly couldn’t take Davis away from Texas, but he did. All of a sudden, LSU needs a defensive line coach again.
The LSU defensive line coach had a significant impact quickly after joining the Saints.
After 2023, Davis replaced a defensive line at LSU that had lost three defensive tackles to the NFL draft. Then, during the season’s second game, he lost Jacobian Guillory, the lone experienced defensive lineman returning, to a season-ending injury. The LSU defense averaged 21 fewer rushing yards in 2024 than it did in 2023, despite the situation. The defense as a whole deserves credit for that number, of course, but it begins at the front.
Davis quickly had a strong impression on the roster and was well recognized both on the field and in the recruiting process. In order to get defensive tackles Brandon Brown and Zion Williams, he took advantage of the connections he had while attending Texas. Overall, Davis added one transfer and four high school defensive tackles to LSU’s recruiting class for 2025.
Defensive Staff Revolving Door
The good news is that Kelly’s defensive lines are coached by skilled and successful individuals. Regretfully, it becomes more difficult to retain a good coach. Jamar Cain, Kelly’s first defensive line coach at LSU, left in 2023 to join the Denver Broncos.
Kelly then recruited Jimmy Lindsey from the South Carolina organization. However, Lindsey missed the 2023 season as a coach because of an undisclosed sickness. Lindsey never had the opportunity to make an impression since the defense was so historically bad that season that the whole staff was dismissed.
Kelly was committed to preventing another defensive breakdown that squandered one of the greatest LSU attacks in history. In addition to making Bo Davis one of the highest-paid defensive line coaches in the country, Kelly also created waves when he appointed Blake Baker as the new defensive coordinator.
For Davis, even it was unable to counteract the NFL’s appeal. When it comes to recruiting and spring training, the collegiate game has always required more of coaches. The never-ending aspect of the collegiate football world has now been made even more difficult by the transfer portal. But in any period, the opportunity to be the defensive line coach at LSU is alluring due to the resources, compensation, and recruiting benefits.
What Comes Next?
With spring practice just a week away, LSU is likely to give defensive line duties to another coach, such as Kevin Peoples, the Tigers’ current edge rusher coach. Peoples has coached the defensive line at Indiana and Tulane in addition to ends and edges at LSU and Missouri. Until the Tigers find a new full-time defensive line coach, he has the experience to be productive.
Time is still a factor, as always. Before the next transfer portal window opens following spring training, LSU has to find a guy to allay any worries that existing players may have. Two highly skilled rising sophomores, Dominick McKinley and Ahmad Breaux, are back. To return to the level at which Tiger supporters have been used, the LSU defense is depending on their development in the middle. Both those players and the newcomers must remain on the roster.
Recruiting will be difficult but promising for whoever takes Davis’ position. Richard Anderson of Edna Karr, an outstanding defensive lineman, has already committed to LSU for the 2026 class. Other in-state defensive line prospects for the next class include Dylan Berymon of Ouachita and McKinley’s younger brother, Darryus McKinley.
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