Daronte Jones Should Get Serious Consideration to Stay as LSU Defensive Coordinator
LSU coach Brian Kelly will have some tough decisions to make over the next several days. There's no doubt Kelly was extremely interested in bringing over a number of his former staff members from Notre Dame to LSU.
But as word started to trickle out of South Bend that Marcus Freeman would be offered the head coaching job, all of Kelly's former assistants, including offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, defensive line coach Mike Elston and strength and conditioning coach Matt Balis all elected to stay.
A number of the Tigers current coaching staff, including Mickey Joseph, Andre Carter, Corey Raymond and Daronte Jones have all been out recruiting the last few days for the program. There are reports that Kelly will keep on Raymond as well as running backs coach Kevin Faulk. Director of Performance Innovation Jack Marucci will also be staying.
"They are well-respected and I will get an opportunity to vet out all of those coaches. They've done a great job," Kelly said Wednesday. "I know the business, they know the business. There are realities in this business. But we'll get to all of those coaches because as I mentioned earlier, they have families, they have lives, and we have to get moving in that direction."
But Jones deserves serious consideration to remain as defensive coordinator as well. Kelly said himself that people at various times in his career have called him a player's coach and also a CEO. The CEO version of Kelly has been able to find the right hires at Notre Dame for the most part and is looking to continue that success in Baton Rouge.
Kelly will want his fingerprints all over this staff, which is why the meetings with each individual coach expected to take place over the next several days are so important. How likely is it that Kelly elects to keep Jones after meeting with him is anybody's guess but just look at the four game turnaround this defense had starting with the bye week before the Alabama game.
The Tigers completely reshaped the identity of this defense from more 4-3 to 3-4 blitzing packages and were one of the best defenses in the SEC over the final month of the season. Jones and the defensive staff did an incredible job scheming and in large part were the reason LSU had chances to beat the Crimson Tide, Arkansas and Texas A&M in the final minutes of the game.
LSU's defense allowed just 18.5 points per game over the final four games and an average of 299 in total yards allowed as well. Despite being depleted at a number of position groups, this unit played its best ball in arguably the last two years. The secondary, down to its third string options at some positions, was solid in coverage and didn't allow the big explosive plays down field.
That really allowed the front seven to be aggressive in the backfield and getting after the quarterback. In the final four games, LSU was able to rack up 12 sacks, 32 tackles for a loss and six interceptions. The turnaround was exquisite, particularly considering the switch in scheme and the number of players in and out of the rotation.
Every defensive player the media talked to during that stretch mentioned how critical the change in scheme was and how it had Jones' fingerprints all over it.
"I think that was a very great adjustment by the coaches," linebacker Mike Jones said. "We got a lot of talented guys, guys that can do a lot of things, even with so many guys hurt. For them to come up with that idea was very smart. Just give guys opportunity to do what they're best at let them make plays."
The coaching decisions, particularly the ones who will stay are sure to trickle down in the coming days so it's impossible to know what Kelly is thinking until he conducts his meetings. But Jones has proven what a defense can look like under his guidance and is deserving of a close look.
