Who will Mizzou football hire to replace Blake Baker at defensive coordinator? 7 names to watch
Amid a historic stretch of Missouri momentum came a swift and stern reminder.
College football will never make it simple.
Missouri football is faced with a vital decision for its 2024 campaign: Replacing outgoing defensive coordinator Blake Baker, who on Friday accepted the same role at LSU.
The two-year MU play-caller had been a quick success story, taking Mizzou from outside of the top-100 in the FBS in total defense to a top-35 outfit in both of his seasons as coordinator.
Will Eli Drinkwitz look inward for his fourth defensive coordinator as he heads into his fifth season, or will he look elsewhere?
Missouri, rightfully, has playoff aspirations in 2024, when the field is set to expand to 12 teams.
First, the Tigers have to get this decision right.
Here are seven candidates who could potentially catch Missouri’s eye:
D.J. Smith, Missouri Co-DC
One year ago, the Tigers added 'co-defensive coordinator' to linebackers coach D.J. Smith’s title.
There’s a definite chance ‘co-’ comes off.
The one question remaining will be if Missouri wants to hand the ropes over to somebody who hasn’t yet donned the headset and ran the show.
The Tigers are likely to hang on to the rest of their defensive staff. With Baker gone, they’ll need to find somebody to coach the safeties, but that’s where the buck should end. By promoting Smith from within, they’d keep a semblance of consistency — somebody who knows the MU playbook and the players carrying it through.
Consistency could go a long way, especially with eight defensive players declared for the draft.
Jim Leonhard, Illinois defensive assistant
The former Wisconsin defensive coordinator should be available.
The Tigers reportedly were prepared to make Baker one of the top-five highest-paid assistants in the sport. Jim Leonhard, currently an analyst at Illinois, likely won’t command that high a number and could bring the play-calling experience that would suit MU’s aspirations.
He spent five seasons calling plays for the Badgers before becoming their interim coach to close out 2022, going 4-3 before Luke Fickell was hired. A Wisconsin grad, Leonhard spent nine seasons in the NFL before turning to coaching.
Wisconsin ranked No. 11 in the FBS for total defense in his final season in Madison, and held the No. 1 rank in 2021, holding opponents to 239.7 yards per game.
Zach Arnett, available
If the Tigers want to go bold …
Zach Arnett was Mike Leach’s defensive coordinator at Mississippi State before succeeding the late coach in 2023.
He has SEC experience, which would suit Missouri.
He has play-calling experience, too.
Arnett is likely to come with a high price tag, but after going 4-6 before being fired by the Bulldogs, there’s a good chance he’s looking to get back into the game with a play-calling role.
Missouri has one of the more enticing openings, if that’s the case. Last season aside, Arnett would be an eye-opening hire.
Spence Nowinski, Ohio DC
If you tuned in to some MAC football or the Myrtle Beach Bowl, you’ll know the Bobcats’ defense was stingy.
Ohio, under Spence Nowinski in his second year as play-caller, allowed just five of 13 opponents to score more than 20 points. The Bobcats held the same amount to 10 points or fewer.
Overall, Nowinski’s unit ranked No. 4 in the FBS for total defense, allowing just 273.5 yards per game. Only Big Ten defenses Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State — up against bygone offenses — outperformed Ohio.
Nowinski’s team ended the 2023 season with 96 tackles for loss and 36 sacks, so if there’s any worry about a style change, Missouri could sleep easy knowing this coordinator also likes to bring pressure.
Jimmy Rodgers, South Dakota State HC
Step away from the FBS for a second, and take a look at the national title contenders in the FCS.
Head coach Jimmy Rodgers’ Jackrabbits will square off against Montana State on Sunday in the FCS title game. He took over the program at the beginning of the 2023 season after calling the defensive plays the year before.
South Dakota State is 14-0 en route to the title game. In 2022, the Jackrabbits ranked third in the FBS by allowing 15.8 points per game. Rodgers’ defense came up with 18 interceptions on the season and allowed just 88.1 rushing yards per game, both leading the FCS.
Yes, some head coaching gigs will come calling.
But a shot a managing a Power Five defense with playoff dreams might be equally as enticing.
Ted Roof, available
This might not be a popular name, but it is an option.
Roof was Eli Drinkwitz’s defensive coordinator at Appalachian State in 2019, when the Mountaineers won the Sun Belt title. The two were on the same staff during Auburn’s national title run in 2010.
The defensive play-caller was just fired by Oklahoma coach Brett Venables on Tuesday.
Look all over Drinkwitz’s staff — including the outgoing Baker — and you’ll see connections to stops and staffs of his past.
This isn’t likely to be where the Tigers turn, but it isn’t out of the realm of possibility. The Mountaineers held eight of 14 opponents to 20 points or fewer in their season together.
Oklahoma, meanwhile, was the FBS’ 78th-ranked defense this season.
Kevin Coyle, Fresno State DC
Or, maybe, the Tigers turn to their other coordinator’s old colleague — Fresno State defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle, who was on a staff with Kirby Moore.
Fresno State head coach Jeff Tedford stepped away from the Bulldogs’ bowl game due to health concerns, which means it might not be too far-fetched that a new head coach is coming to Fresno State.
If there are changes, Coyle might be looking for a new gig.
He was on LSU’s most-recent national championship winning staff as a defensive analyst, giving him SEC experience, and he has 45 years of coaching experience, including in the NFL as the Miami Dolphins DC.
Fresno State finished the season as the FBS’ 56th-ranked defense, but were No. 20 in turnovers gained with 23.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Who will Mizzou hire to replace defensive coordinator Blake Baker? 7 names to watch
