LSU Football Loses Key Defensive Staffer For Texas Bowl Clash, Replacement Steps In

The LSU Tigers will be without defensive line coach Kyle Williams for the program's Texas Bowl matchup against the Houston Cougars, according to multiple reports.

Williams, who served as the program's position coach at defensive tackle across the 2025 season, will not be back in Baton Rouge in 2026 after mutually agreeing to part ways following his lone season coaching his unit.

LSU has since hired South Carolina defensive assistant Sterling Lucas to coach the interior defensive line next fall in what quickly emerged as a splash hire for head coach Lane Kiffin this month, but with the Texas Bowl inching closer, there remained questions as to Williams' status.

Now, it's clear with Williams not traveling to Houston with the program where Jermauria Rasco, a former LSU player who has been an analyst the past two years, will coach the defensive tackles in the season finale.

Kyle Williams is not coaching in the Texas Bowl, per a team spokesperson. Jermauria Rasco, a former LSU player who has been an analyst the past two years, will coach the defensive tackles.
— Wilson Alexander (@whalexander_) December 26, 2025

Heading into the 2026 season, LSU has assembled a star-studded staff with the assistant coaching pool on defense certainly emerging as one to watch after retaining coordinator Blake Baker.

Across the 2025 season under Baker's watch at LSU, he brought the Tigers into the Top-25 of total defense while also sitting among the Top-15 in turnovers gained with 21 in total over 12 games this fall.

LSU’s defense ranked in the top half of the SEC across the 2025 campaign after allowing 319.7 yards per game.

Bakers unit also held teams to 18.3 points on average, which ranked fourth in the conference.

Those were both improvements from 2024 when LSU gave up 364.4 yards and 24.3 points per game in Baker’s first season as defensive coordinator.

LSU Tigers Football: Blake Baker. — Courtesy of Blake Baker's Instragram.

"I think our trust in Coach Baker, our buy-in to what he's teaching us and what he's preaching to us. He brings energy every single day, so it's hard not to bring energy when the boss man is bringing it," LSU linebacker Whit Weeks said this season of what Baker provides the Tigers.

Now, with Lucas set to join the program for the 2026 season, it adds another star-studded piece moving forward.

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