The Tulane Green Wave have reportedly zeroed in on their next head coach. It’s widely reported that they are set to hire LSU Tigers defensive coordinator Blake Baker as the team’s next coach, as first reported by Fletcher Mackel of WDSU. Fox 8's Garland Gillen confirmed that the team has focused in on Baker, and numerous sources tell him a deal could be done as early as Thursday night. He would replace Jon Sumrall who is leaving for the Florida Gators.

This would be a home run hire for the program as they look to continue their sustained success over the last four seasons. Baker is a Tulane alum who played linebacker for the Green Wave from 2000 to 2004 and would take his first head coaching job with his alma mater. Tulane has become a top Group of Five destination for head coaches. Baker has been LSU’s defensive coordinator since 2024 and took over a calamity on that side of the ball.

In two seasons, Baker turned around the defense to boast one of the best in the nation in the 2025 season. They allowed just 18.3 points per game, good for No. 15 in college football. The secondary and run stopping are what stood out on Baker’s defense, while he actually was able to build a pass rush. New Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin tried to make a late play to retain Baker, but it’s hard to compete with a head coaching opportunity, should Baker and Tulane finalize a deal.

Baker began his coaching career after playing for the Green Wave, redshirting the 2000 season. He recorded 145 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and six sacks in his 42 games played with the team – at the Superdome. He started as a graduate assistant in Texas in 2010 under defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, then became the safeties coach at Arkansas State in 2013. One year later, he was hired as the Boise State Broncos Director of Player Personnel, which is intriguing, but he left after a month to become the safeties coach at Louisiana Tech under Diaz.

He was promoted to defensive coordinator and linebackers coach and then became the defensive coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes, following Diaz again. The Hurricanes had the No. 13 defense in the nation. He was first at LSU in 2021 as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, but was not retained by Brian Kelly after one season, despite coaching the nation’s leading tackler in Damone Clark. He went to Missouri to become their safeties coach, was promoted to defensive coordinator, and finally returned to LSU to be their next defensive coordinator.

His next role, should a deal be finalized, would be as the Green Wave’s next head coach.

Tulane is 41-12 in the last four seasons and is the only team in the American conference to compete for four consecutive conference championships. Sumrall has called the opening he vacated one of the best jobs in college football, despite it being a Group of Five program. He declared it better than multiple Power Four jobs, and he’s frankly correct.

Baker was viewed early as the consensus top hire for the job, despite there not immediately feeling like one in Sumrall’s departure. But after interviewing on Monday, the response has clearly wanted Tulane to close the deal with Baker. The Green Wave want to continue competing for conference championships, and this would show that they feel that Baker is most poised to help them do that.