LSU Defensive Players Set for First Meetings With New Coaching Staff

It's going to be a day of firsts for LSU's new defensive staff. After agreeing to deals with Daronte Jones, Blake Baker and Andre Carter to join the defensive staff, the new Tigers' coaches will not only be introduced but get to meet their new players for the first time as well.

The offensive staff has been filled for three weeks now and Jake Peetz and DJ Mangas are building strong relationships with those players and for Orgeron, it's about getting the defensive guys up to speed before spring ball. LSU is currently in the middle of football school and while the offense is well underway, the defense had been focusing primarily on fundamentals until the staff could be filled out.

Now that Jones has been hired as defensive coordinator and Baker and Carter as position coaches, not only can the three start building relationships but also talk with their players on how they can improve from last year's poor showing.

"It will be the first installation, we've been working on fundamentals with our guys and we let some guys step in and did a tremendous job," Orgeron said on Off the Bench Tuesday. "But today will be Daronte's first meeting, Blake's first meeting and Andre's first meeting so I'm excited to see the way they interact with our players. I think the players are gonna love them."

Jones, Baker and Carter will likely want to spend the next several days and weeks getting to know their players, much like Jake Peetz and DJ Mangas have done on the offensive side of the ball. Building that chemistry from the beginning will be critical as it was pretty apparent the Tigers didn't have much of it with the previous coaching regime on defense.

"These guys are young, energetic, they want to prove themselves. It's a different vibe in the office right now," Orgeron said. "On offense, the guys have been here for three weeks and that door is always closed, they're always working. The players have seemed to respond and love it.

"Now our players are going to meet Daronte and the new staff today, I think they're going to be absolutely fired up about the defense we're playing, an attacking style defense. I wanted to bring the best I could for these young men. I wanted to bring guys who could relate to our players and we got that done."

Orgeron will introduce Jones, Baker and Carter at 11 a.m. to the media and fans alike.