Baker, Smith get new roles as Pogue comes aboard

It’s not officially official yet, but the news has all but made its way around the Mizzou Football community. There’s a new defensive coordinator in town, and his name is Blake Baker.

Baker has reportedly been hired to replace Steve Wilks after the latter returned to the NFL with the Carolina Panthers. It’s a move that may have been expected by Drinkwitz, who jumped at the opportunity to promote Baker after hiring him in January.

Hiring Baker was “an opportunity to add somebody who has coordinating experience at the collegiate level, who has seen a lot of different things, been in the SEC, been in the ACC, can be a sounding board for Steve and continue to help us improve,” Drinkwitz said of Baker last month. “Somebody who can really be a No. 2 in that room.”

We laid out Baker’s credentials in yesterday’s post, but the beat has done a little digging on his past as well. Dave Matter chronicled Baker’s past successes, including some of his best seasons as a DC.

Miami’s best season under Baker’s watch was 2019 when the Hurricanes ranked No. 13 nationally in yards allowed per game (309.8), No. 17 in rush defense (114.6), No. 18 in pass defense (195.2) and No. 23 in scoring defense (20.8 points allowed per game). In 2018, Louisiana Tech ranked fourth nationally in sacks (3.5 per game) and No. 25 in yards per allowed per play (4.9).

Baker isn’t the only one getting a promotion. DJ Smith, who was recently promoted to be the program’s recruiting director, is going to serve as co-coordinator. Filling Baker’s spot in the secondary is a newcomer, Al Pogue.

Unless there’s something I’m missing, that should signal the end of the coaching shuffle for the 2022 offseason. Here’s to a bright (and lengthy?) future with this coaching staff!

Yesterday at Rock M

• In which BK explains how Auburn transfer Ian Mathews fits into the long term plans at DL
• In which Mizzou has a new defensive coordinator!
• In which Lauren tells us where Missouri struggled in its third straight SEC loss

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